Summer of '15
by LitLover 101
Summary: The Salvatore siblings, Care, Damon, Stef and Hayley, have never made a unified decision when it comes to where to spend their summers. This year is no exception. If they thought that was the hardest part of the season they could never have foreseen the loves they would encounter, the friends they would make or the trouble they will cause. Klaroline, Delena, Stef/?, Haylijah
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries TV show. That honor goes to Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson.**

 **Hello, my lovely readers. This is a new fic that I meant to begin posting at the beginning of June. It's going to be short, about sixteen, maybe twenty chapters at max. On with the show…**

Chapter 1: Anywhere but Here

Laying on her back, Caroline Salvatore placed a pillow over her face. She was biting back a scream into her older "brother," Damon's goose down pillow as he argued with their "siblings." "Morocco!" Damon Salvatore yelled.

"We can't _afford_ Morocco, Damon," Stefan Salvatore said reasonably.

"Who _cares_?" Damon snapped back.

"Venice!" Hayley Salvatore interjected.

"We went there over the _winter_!" Damon argued with her.

" _So_?" Hayley cried and Caroline felt the bed shift as Hayley flopped down and grabbed Caroline's feet. "Come on, sis, help a girl out here."

"NO!" Caroline retorted, although her answer was muffled.

"We can't afford to go to Italy, without our parents paying for it," Stefan told them and Hayley groaned, letting go of Caroline.

"That blows. Okay, but we could take our allowances and put them together for the trip -" Hayley began when Damon stopped her.

"Oh, no way, honey. _I_ am _not_ funding some trip so that we can get stuck with whatever _lame_ ass place _you_ conjure up," Damon snarled.

Caroline muffled another scream. What had gotten her into this _hell_? Looking back at her life, Caroline attempted to pinpoint the exact moment that she had realized that she would be stuck with _this_ as her family and that it was a _nightmare_. By all outward appearances the Salvatore family was a close knit group and were perfectly happy. But if you looked under the surface, you saw that there was much more to it than that.

When Caroline Forbes was eight, her parents divorced. One year later, after what others perceived as a whirl wind romance, Giusseppe Salvatore married Elizabeth Forbes. In reality, the marriage was simply the recombining of two of the founding families of Mystic Falls. It was purely about the power. Or at least that was what Caroline believed it to be.

With the combining of the two families, Caroline found herself as the younger sister of Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Damon looked at Caroline with disdain as the annoying sister he was glad he had never had. Stefan, on the other hand, was happy to have someone his own age to play with, even if she was a girl.

In less than a year, Giusseppe and Liz began to remark upon how uneven their set of children were due to Damon's insistent need to point out the gender difference between himself and Caroline. To "fix" the problem Caroline's new "father" and mother decided that they should do what any family who had so many rooms in their house, and a seemingly _unlimited_ amount of money would do in the situation, they adopted. Not only did they adopt, they went out of their way to find a girl who would fit into their idea of _disadvantaged_ and brought home a girl from Appalachia.

 _Unfortunately_ for the parents, they were soon to find out that their new daughter, Hayley, and their other children did not get along. Damon tortured her over her accent. Stefan was afraid of her because she punched Damon and broke his nose. Caroline was simply not interested in sharing the attention with yet _another_ child. It was bad enough competing with her "brothers," but to add insult to injury, they had to bring in another girl.

Ten years later, the children were more or less grown and had come to _tolerate_ each other. However, that did not mean that they were above petty arguments, like trying to narrow down the right place to vacation while their parents were in the Bahamas. Of course, they could not simply each take their money, and go their separate ways just like they could not not end up at the same college. Somehow when they were deciding where to go, they could not seem to separate. Some days, Caroline thought that that was one of her stupidest decisions. She would rather spend every day of the school year sharing her dorm room with her siblings than spending her vacation with them.

Groaning and muttering curses into Damon's pillow, Caroline wished that they could just pick some place, and get it over with already. " _You_ picked _last_ time!" Hayley complained as Damon began to drum his fingers on his jeans.

"Why don't we just get a map, and throw a dart at it?" Stefan offered and then there was silence in the room.

Sitting up, Caroline flung the pillow across the room. "Yes, that is what we should do," she said, getting off the bed and starting across the room, she added, "I'll get the map."

"Why do you _always_ side with Stefan?" Hayley moaned after the younger woman, propping herself on her right elbow.

"'Cause you side with Damon half the time," Stefan answered for Caroline as she began to look through Damon's closet. She could have sworn that she saw a globe in here, one time.

"Oh, my God. Ew! What is that _thing_?" Caroline shrieked. Stumbling out of the closet, she fell on her rear end on her escape from the offending object.

" _What_ did you find?" Stefan and Hayley asked simultaneously as they came to stand on either side of Caroline.

"I _can't_ tell you. It's just _too_ terrible," Caroline replied, covering her eyes with both her hands as if that would make the image go away.

"What the _hell_?" Hayley gasped as she pulled out a globe with a picture of Damon's ex-girlfriend, Rose, covering it. In the picture, Rose was nude.

"Whoa," Stefan said, it took him a moment to stop staring before he let out a cough and stared at the floor.

" _Why_ , Damon? _Why_ would you do that to a globe?" Caroline complained with her hands still covering her eyes.

" _Because_ it was part of a little game that Rose and I would play. I spin the globe and then -" Damon started to explain when Caroline began to sing at the top of her lungs, cutting him off. " _Fine_. I'll tell you when you're older, kiddo." Patting her on the head, Damon smirked. "You can look _now_." He began to laugh his head off when Caroline came face to face with parts of Rose that made her face turn red.

"I'm going to _kill_ you," Caroline screamed, jumping to her feet and launching herself at Damon. She knocked him to the floor and wrapped both hands around his throat. "You are a sick, _sick_ man and I will be doing the world and women all around it a _favor_ ," she proclaimed, tightening her grip.

It took the efforts of both Hayley and Stefan to free Damon from their youngest sibling's clutches. " _Let_ me kill him. I promise that when the police come, I'll tell them that _neither_ of you were at home," Caroline begged. "Or I'll bury the body myself. Whatever you'd like, but _don't_ let him _live_. He's _evil_. He _needs_ to be stopped. Think of the _poor_ , _innocent_ women that have yet to have fallen into his clutches. It's like doing charity work."

" _No_ , Caroline," Stefan told her while Hayley seemed to be contemplating the proposal.

"Naw, too much of a mess. And what would we tell Mom and Dad when they came home and you were in _jail_?" Hayley quipped as she peeled the photo of Rose off the globe.

"Hey, that was a _perfectly_ good picture," Damon protested. "Now you scrunched it."

"Text her. She'll probably send you a new one," Hayley told him. Balling the picture in her fist, she stood on tiptoe and tossed it into the trashcan. "She shoots. She scores and the crowd goes wild."

"Get a _life_ , Hayley," Damon snapped, frowning at the demise of his beloved photo. " _Why_ did you do that?" He sneered at Hayley, who rolled her eyes. Digging through the trash, he pulled out the picture and began to smooth it out with the flats of his palms. "Just because you're jealous that I can get a woman who's that hot, and you -"

"Damon!" Stefan's tone came out with a warning as he folded his arms over his chest.

Damon began to chuckle. "Ah, yes, back to Saint Stefan mode in which he saves all the little chickies before the big, bad hurts their poor 'lil feelings. Aren't you two blessed to have the _good_ brother to defend you from the _bad_ seed?" The taunting would have continued if Hayley had not walked out of the room in a rage. " _Midol_ works for that, you _know_ ," he yelled after her.

Caroline rolled her eyes and left the room. She needed to find darts as Stefan and Damon began to yell at each other. Soon they would be the ones on the floor, rolling around. Walking past Hayley's room, Caroline heard loud music pouring from the room and the sound of loud sobs. "Hales!" Caroline shouted to be heard.

"Go away!" Hayley shouted back. Caroline rolled her eyes. She sometimes thought that she had been stuck in a family of three boys and one girl. But that was an ignorant thought that she had taken up when she was in high school.

When she was part of the cheerleading squad, her fellow squad members would ask Caroline if she was not worried that Hayley would come into her room at night and do stuff. Caroline had ignored the comments, for the most part. It was just idle gossip and something for the girls to giggle about as Hayley passed by in the hallways. They had formed the impression that because Hayley had joined the basketball team and shunned hanging out with Caroline's crowd, that she was odd. Then odd became the rumor that she must be gay, because she didn't have a boyfriend. Or worse yet she was one of those people who was waiting for marriage to have sex. Sometimes the girls asked Hayley where her chastity ring was. Sometimes they asked if she was robot, who just didn't like anyone.

The problem was that Caroline did nothing to dispel the rumors. She knew that Hayley had had crushes on many guys in the TV shows they watched and that she had gone out with guys from other schools. However, it had been easier for Caroline to be the girl in the family at her school. There she was special. It was her place to rule, and rule she did.

Of course the fact that she had two smoking hot, older brothers did not hurt her popularity in any way. Many of the girls wanted to be able to meet Damon and Stefan. This made it easier for Caroline to end up on top. What no one knew until they had the stupidity to date Damon, was that he was a serial dater. He did not want a relationship.

Then there was Stefan, who would date the same girl for a year before Damon would find a way to end it for his little brother. That was Damon for you. He was like a wrecking ball that destroyed everything in its path. He had singlehandedly ruined every single relationship that all three of his siblings had ever had. This did not help the rumors about Hayley, because who would believe that it was Damon's evil plans that made her not want to date, knowing her older brother would ruin her happiness in the blink of an eye.

Grabbing a box of darts from Stefan's room, Caroline headed back toward Damon's. Hayley came out her own room, her eyes red rimmed, but she put on a big smile. "Found the darts? Good, can I have one? I think I'm going to play a new game with Damon's face."

Smiling, Caroline fell into step with her sister as they re-entered Damon's room. "Okay, now, it's time to pick where we're going."

"Just cover up anything cold. I didn't buy swim trunks for nothing," Damon instructed Caroline who ignored him as she picked up the globe and set in on his bed.

"Stef, you want to do the honors?" Caroline asked, holding out the box to Stefan.

"Why does _he_ get to pick?" Damon demanded, glaring at his siblings who ignored him. Stefan pulled out a dart and threw it at the globe. Damon leaned over and read the spot before smiling. "East coast, here we come."

"Huh," Hayley nodded as she looked at the spot.

"New Hampshire," Caroline said. "Do we know anything about this town that the dart landed on?"

"No," Damon said as he walked toward his closet. "All we know is that it's not _here_ , and that is the _main_ agenda, _sister_."

"Should we book a hotel before we go?" Stefan inquired, pulling out his phone.

Before Stefan could get on the internet, Damon snatched the phone away. "No, we do _not_. Why, you ask me, with those puppy dog eyes of yours, that, sadly, do not work on me, little brother, because we are going to be spontaneous. We are going to go on an adventure. We are going to go on a real vacation. Who's with me?"

Hayley held up her hand while Stefan and Caroline looked skeptical. "Come on! Caroline. Stef. For once, let go of the maddening sense that you have to plan every, last step, and allow the road to take you. Let me be your guide. In your brother, you trust."

"Never!" Stefan, Caroline and Hayley replied before laughing as Damon deflated.

"Screw all of you. If you refuse to stop be boring, I will just leave without you," Damon grabbed his suitcase and began to head out of the room.

"Bye," Caroline called.

"Wait," Stefan called.

"Good riddance," Hayley muttered after Damon's retreating back.

"You rang," Damon replied, stopping and looking at Stefan.

"So, _if_ we go with your plan of not planning, then the _next_ trip we take you will _not_ complain about anything, right?" Stefan inquired.

"Sure," Damon said, holding out his hand, he shook with Stefan. "A deal is a deal. Ladies?" Caroline and Hayley traded looks before reluctantly shaking Damon's hand. "Alright then. _Hello_ , New Hampshire. _Goodbye_ , Mystic Falls."

 **Thanks for reading, faving, following and for reviewing. Let me know if you have any questions/comments!**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is Damon's chapter. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. On with the show…**

Chapter 2: In the Land of Women

Grinning widely, Damon Salvatore got out of the driver's seat of his Camaro. He was absolutely sure that this was going to be a _great_ vacation. He, unlike his younger siblings, had _no_ problem with their all being stuck together this summer. The main reason was that, in his eyes, Stef, Care and Hales, were still kids. It was his responsibility to look out for them during their first vacation, without the parents. However, that did not mean that he did not plan on having as much fun as he _possibly_ could. Having his siblings around had _never_ stopped him before.

When they arrived in the small, coastal town in New Hampshire, Damon had argued with the others until he got his way. This included driving around until he finally saw a sign for a hotel with a name they could recognize. It was one of many smaller hotels owned by the Hilton family. Nothing but the best for Damon and his family. Now, they were entering the lobby and Damon strode ahead of the group.

Smiling his signature grin known to impress the ladies, Damon informed the girl at the reception desk that they would be needing four rooms, holding up and wiggling four fingers of his right hand.

"I'm really sorry, sir, but we don't have four rooms," the girl, who was his age, told him with a grimace at her computer screen.

"How about _two_?" Damon inquired. Now the grin was forced, but that hadn't been a problem when he tried to persuade the girls. The girl began to shake her head and Damon deflated.

"There seems to be a conference. And a wedding… And people taking their summer vacation. I'm _really_ sorry, sir," the girl told him and Damon shrugged.

This hotel wasn't the only one in town. They would just keep driving. That was all. "Okay, guys," Damon called as he walked back over to the group, who were huddled on the other side of the lobby and looked unhappy as they glared at him. "Seems that there are _no_ rooms at the inn tonight. So, I guess, we'll just keep looking." He walked out the front door and held it for his siblings, who were grumbling and making threats, again.

Rolling his eyes, Damon got into the front of his car and placed his key in the ignition. Driving around town, Damon went into four more hotels and got the same answer. Apparently it was the _height_ of the tourist season and there was going to be _nowhere_ to stay. "We _should_ have called ahead," Caroline pointed out. She was sulking in the backseat. Hayley was glaring out the window to her left. Stefan was nodding in agreement with Caroline.

"Look. I'll find _something_. Just chill." Damon could feel his anger bubbling to the surface, and this was not the time or the place as their father would say. Of course, if their father were there, he would find someplace for them to stay. Sighing, he felt defeated when he saw lights coming from a medium size house. Noting the large porch, and then the sign out front in the pre-sunset light, Damon began to grin. Easing up on the gas, he pulled over and jumped out of the car. "We're _here_ ," he announced.

Damon did not care if he had to bribe who ever ran this inn into giving them rooms, he would do it, if he had to, and it wouldn't be the first time. There was no way that he and his siblings were going to sleep in the car tonight. Rounding to the trunk, Damon pulled out Caroline's suitcase that felt like it was full of bricks. "Here, Stef, be a gentleman and carry this." Smiling when Stefan gasped after taking the handle, Damon pulled out his bag, Stefan's and Hayley's, which together were not as heavy as Care's.

"Okay, I'll go talk to the owner. You three, have a nice chat on the porch like _nice_ kids," Damon ordered the group.

" _No_ _way_ ," Caroline protested. "We're _not_ staying out here while you screw up the last place that we might find to sleep at."

"She's right, Damon," Stefan said.

"Whatever, I'm going to sleep in the car if this doesn't work out. I say that we can let Damon sleep on the _beach_ ," Hayley snapped, her arms crossed with an angry look on her face.

They walked into the lobby to find that there was an older woman at the desk, she might be eighty, or a hundred and fifty, for all Damon knew. She looked up and smiled, "Hello, there. Run out of places to book a room at tonight." She began to laugh as if this were the funniest joke in the world.

Damon could hear the group behind him begin to whisper heatedly and he heard a number of insults aimed his way. " _Yeah_ , I guess we ran out. So, _please_ , tell me that there are _still_ rooms at this _adorable_ place." At this point Damon would admit that he was desperate, and would stay almost anywhere.

"Yeah, there are," the woman replied. "How many do you need? Two for your friend, and your two lady friends? Or is it you and the boy, and the girls need their own room? I'm hip with how things are in this day and age." She began to cackle and Damon felt his eyes widening as his eyebrows shot up at her comments.

"No, no, _no_. These are my _siblings_ ," Damon told the woman quickly.

Smiling back at Damon in a way that made him want to cringe, the woman nodded. " _Yes_ , I understand. You're, what do they call it again… Oh, _yes_ , in the closet."

"Yeah," Damon was tired of arguing. " _Very_ much so. Now, could we get _four_ rooms, please?"

"Sure," the woman said, pulling down keys and then slapping them down on the desk. "That will be seven hundred a week, and nine on the weekends."

Damon frowned. He would swear that she was overcharging him, but he decided to keep his mouth shut as he pulled out his credit card and handed it to her. Glancing at the keys behind the woman, as she ran his card through the machine, he noticed something that bothered him. There were only _two_ keys. "Excuse me, ma'am," Damon called to the woman who was whistling with her back to him, "I asked for _four_ rooms, not two."

"Yeah, well, the problem is, honey, there are only _two_ left. I never said that there were _four_. That's just what you said _you_ wanted." Laughing again, the woman laid his card on the desk. "Have a _nice_ night. We don't provide breakfast here during the week. That's just on the weekend, but there are plenty of places you can go to." With that she turned her back on him.

Damon could feel that he was about to explode and go off on the little, old lady from hell, but turned to face his family. Caroline and Hayley were whispering to each other as he came toward them. Neither looked happy. He figured it was about the rooming situation. "Hey, it looks like, Stef, you and I, are going to be rooming together. Ladies, here's your key, and if you will excuse me…" the words trailed off as a young woman came into the inn. " _Katherine_?" he breathed.

The girl looked up, her eyebrows scrunching. "Ummm… _no_. I'm Elena," the girl said and Damon shook his head. The girl looked to Stefan and then forced a smile. "Hey, Stefan. Small world."

"Yeah," Stefan replied, looking dazed. Caroline and Hayley looked at each other and then at Damon.

"Let's go," Caroline said quickly. "I want to see my room," she grabbed Damon's arm and Hayley grabbed the other. They were in the process of turning him around, when another brunette who looked exactly like Elena, came in with a tall, dark haired boy.

"Jer, you need to _stop_ flirting with Elena's friends. You know they're _not_ cool," Katherine said before she turned her head and caught sight of Damon.

"You're a _really_ nice person, Kat. I don't think I say that enough," Bonnie Bennett was saying as she walked in to the inn behind Katherine. "Damon," she gasped, and then glared. "Looks like this really is going to be the vacation from _hell_ , _right_ , Lexi?"

Damon gulped as Alexia Branson came in behind Bonnie. "Shit," he muttered. That's what he needed, not _one_ but _three_ of his exs in this tiny, _tiny_ house. " _Shit_ ," he repeated as his sisters, and now his brother, began to drag him up the stairs. "I'm in _hell_ ," Damon was saying as Stefan opened the door to their room and all four siblings entered, together. " _How_ is that even possible?"

"I have _no_ idea," Stefan said, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm going to take my bag over to my room," Caroline announced. Damon got up and came to peek into the hallway to make sure that more girls from his past did not come floating up from the floorboards or from behind corners.

Shoving her key into a lock across the hall from Damon's door, Caroline frowned when the key didn't work. Then someone opened the door. "Are _you_ room service?" a blonde asked, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes at Caroline.

"No, she's _not_. But if there's anything that _I_ can help you with…" Damon replied as the girl began to grin at him and he felt his luck turning around.

"Bekah, is this guy _bothering_ you?" a voice called as a young man came walking down the hall and came to stand in front of Damon, obscuring the view of the girl. The man sneered at Damon. "Oh, look, and he already has _girls_ in his room. Stay away from my _sister_ ," the man snapped before turning to come face to face with Caroline, who was glaring. "And _who_ might you be, love?"

"The _sister_ of the guy that _you're_ harassing," Caroline snapped. "He was just being _friendly_. But maybe people where you come from don't know about manners since your sister thought I was the maid."

"Aren't you?" Bekah asked from behind Caroline, who rolled her eyes.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, Damon stepped further out into the hallway. "Look, buddy," he said, placing his hand on the brother of the blonde's shoulder. "I didn't mean to offend you. I know what it's like to have a sister. Hell, I have _two_ ," Damon waved in the direction of Caroline, then slung an arm around Hayley when she came out the door to stand beside him.

"Is there _anyone_ who knows where the room service _is_?" Bekah called from behind Caroline.

"There is _no_ room service, sister," the brother of Bekah replied. "I'm Klaus Mikaelson." Rather than holding out a hand to Damon, he held it out to Caroline.

Caroline frowned, but held out her hand and Klaus took it, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of hers. Oh, man, this guy had moves. Damon kept his smile in place, but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself until they got out of the hallway. "It's nice to meet you, Klaus," Caroline replied with a forced smile of her own. "Is it just you and your sister who are here?"

"Oh, _no_ , there are _more_ of us. My brothers, Elijah, Kol and Finn came with as well as Finn's girlfriend, Sage. And I brought my college chum, Marcel, with me," Klaus replied smoothly. "Perhaps you could come to breakfast with us, and I could introduce you to them." Smiling widely, Klaus laced his fingers behind his back.

"She _can't_. Damon told him. "We have plans," he said quickly. For some reason the name Sage had made him feel weak in the knees. He could swear he knew a girl named Sage.

"But it would be _terribly_ nice if you could change your plans," Bekah called as Klaus smirked at his sister and then looked at Caroline who blushed.

"I don't know," Damon said. "We'll think about it. Have a good night."

"Yes, have a _good_ night," Bekah replied with a grin that made Damon want to drag her into his room. The problem was his roommate. 'Oh, well. Maybe some other time,' he thought.

"Good night, _Caroline_ ," Klaus told Caroline who nodded before squeezing past Damon and back into his room.

"Where is _our_ room supposed to be?" Caroline yelled after Damon closed the door. "I swear to God, Damon."

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Stefan, go see which lock that key fits in," Damon instructed Stefan who did not move.

" _Stop_ telling everyone what to do, Damon!" Hayley snapped. "No one cares that you're the _oldest_ anymore. We're _all_ adults. _I'll_ go find the room."

"Oh, _no_ , you _won't_ ," Damon yelled at her as she pulled the door open and walked into the hallway.

" _Watch_ me," Hayley called as she walked away.

"Get back _here_!" Damon shouted, poking his head into the hallway. "Damn it, Hayley. I'll be right back," he told Caroline and Stefan who were ignoring him and talking about something boring.

Stepping out into the hall, Damon felt his back stiffen. The last thing he wanted to do was be out in the hallway with all of these girls that he had been with, roaming it. It was like a list of his exs had decided to come back into his life at the same time. Not good. Not good at all. Continuing to walk, Damon's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the hallway. They really needed to invest in better lighting in this place. " _Hayley_!" he hissed into the darkness.

In all honesty, Damon had broken up most of his siblings' relationships because he knew they weren't going to work out. He had the most experience in dating and could see a _mile_ away when there was problem that would not be overcome. _Really_ , he was doing them a favor. Although that mainly applied to _Stefan_. The kid did not know how to _not_ fall deeply in love with a girl who would not cause him to fall apart completely over when they broke up. That is why Damon had to make sure that he and Elena Gilbert broke up. She was _just_ like her sister, and in time Stefan would have seen that… But Damon was not a patient person.

Then there were his sisters. They did not know how _evil_ men could be. He knew because he was one. They thought _he_ was bad, but he knew for a fact that there was much, _much_ worse out there and that it was his _duty_ to keep them safe from that kind of guy. That would be why he was out in the hall, searching for Hayley.

"Boo!" Hayley shrieked, popping out from a room and leaping onto Damon's back.

"Hayley, that is so _not_ funny!" Damon yelled at his sister.

"It's a little funny," Hayley said. "Now, say cheese for the camera." Damon was blinded when someone took a picture and then his eyes readjusted to take in Caroline and Stefan who were laughing loudly at him. "See. Funny!" Hayley said, slapping him on the back as she dismounted. "Care, I found our room! Have a nice night, brothers." When Caroline entered the room, she closed the door behind her.

"That was _not_ funny," Damon grumbled on his way back to his room.

"It was a _little_ funny," Stefan replied, showing Damon the picture of Damon's horrified look and Hayley flashing the peace sign with a happy grin. If this was their first day, Damon was frightened to see what the rest of the vacation had in store for him.

 **Next time we will have Stefan's chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and for reviewing.**

 **Answers to reviews:**

 **Guest: They are. Thank you**.

 **Rune Saint: Thank you and I think that they're going to be human this time around.**

 **Guest: I know. Maybe another time. I am a huge fan of that pairing since S2 of TO.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is Stefan's chapter. I hope that you enjoy it. On with the show…**

Chapter 3: What Women Want

Staring off into space while shoving his feet further into the sand surrounding his chair, Stefan Salvatore began to brood. This vacation simply was not what he had been expecting. It was bad enough that his sisters and older brother had been arguing practically non-stop since the trip had started but now he had to sit and think about where his ex-girlfriend, Elena, was and who she was with.

Stefan and Elena had met during freshman orientation at Mystic Falls High. She had been outgoing and friendly. He had been somewhat shy when he met her. He knew that he liked her and that she seemed to like him but there were a lot of factors. Like his sister's opinion. "Stefan," Caroline had told him. "She's cute. She likes you. What's to think about? Go get her."

Therefore Stefan had followed Caroline's advice. The problem was that Elena already had a boyfriend, Matt Donovan. Matt was a huge problem in Stefan's getting together with Elena because he liked Matt. Everyone liked Matt. And when Stefan joined the football team to follow in Damon's footsteps it made it even harder because now he was not just Matt's friend but he was also his teammate.

Elena joined the cheerleading squad with her sister, Katherine, who started dating Damon during that first year. It didn't matter that Damon was a junior; what mattered was that what Katherine Gilbert wanted Katherine Gilbert got. So, when Miranda and Grayson Gilbert died in a car crash leaving behind their three children, Elena, Katherine and Jeremy, the children changed. Elena became quiet and distant. Katherine, on the other hand, began to act out. And Jeremy was a whole different story Whereas Elena broke up with Matt because "she was not the same person," Katherine stayed with Damon but started to involve herself with other guys.

One year later Elena and Stefan had begun to date and Damon caught Katherine in bed with Tyler Lockwood's uncle. Suffice it to say Damon was devastated. He had thought that Katherine was "the one."

This was the beginning of a new era. Damon stopped believing in love and began to sleep with any girl he could get ahold of. He started with girls from outside of Mystic Falls but then began to go after girls that were closer to home to prove to Katherine he could care less about what she thought. He slept with Elena's friend, Bonnie, and all of the cheerleading squad, except for Caroline and Elena, of course. Then he slept with Stefan's best friend, Lexi. That was when Stefan lost his temper and it ended with both of them being suspended from school and being taken to the hospital.

When college started Damon tried to convince Stefan that he needed to move on and see other girls. However, Stefan did not want to. He had purchased an engagement ring for Elena and planned to propose on the night of their graduation ceremony. Damon had scoffed and left when Stefan showed him the ring. "Whatever, little brother," Damon had said as he walked out the door.

The next day Stefan had gone to Elena's house and knocked on the door. Her aunt Jenna answered and told him that Elena had gone on a trip with a friend to Georgia. Stefan had thought that was weird because she hadn't said anything about any trip to Georgia. Pulling out his phone, he had called and listened to the ringing in his ear when a familiar voice echoed in his ear. "Elena's phone," Damon called.

Stefan stopped breathing when he heard Elena laughing in the background and screaming that Damon had to do another shot. Hanging up the phone, Stefan had sat down on the Gilberts' porch swing, staring into space.

"Stefan," Damon called, waving a hand in front of his brother's face. "Earth to Saint Stefy, come in, Stefan."

Stefan blinked, staring up at Damon, trying to ignore the sting of the memories as he held up his hand in front of his eyes to block the glare of the sun. "There are a group of girls down on the other side of the beach who want to know if you and I would like to join them in a game of volleyball." Damon wriggled his eyebrows and Stefan shook his head. "Come on, man, you can't just sit here all day. You'll fry or something."

"I've got a very good book to keep me company," Stefan said drily, holding up a copy of Shakespeare's sonnets.

"Suit yourself," Damon told him. "I guess they'll just have to deal with 'lil ole me by myself." Stefan watched Damon walk away from him with a roll of his eyes.

"I thought he'd never leave," a voice from behind Stefan said and Stefan jumped at the sound. Turning around, he found Katherine smirking down at him. "Hi there, Stefan, care to help me with my sunblock?"

Stefan had no clue what to say as Katherine laid down a blanket and then sat down. Not waiting for a response from Stefan, Katherine undid the strings to her bikini top before laying down on her stomach. Holding up a tube of sunscreen, she waited as Stefan sat frozen. He was about to take it when someone else took the bottle. "Thank you, Stefan," Katherine purred when the person began to shake the bottle and then sprayed the liquid on Katherine's back in globs.

"You're welcome, Kat," Hayley said with a smirk and a wink for her brother.

Caroline came to stand beside Hayley. "Hey, Katherine. I didn't have the chance to tell you how much I _really_ missed you last time we saw each other," Caroline said, taking the bottle from Hayley, she began to spray Katherine down with the sunscreen until she had a thick layer coating her legs, back, arms and hair. "Oops, I think I missed a spot!" Caroline declared as Katherine closed her eyes and pressed her lips together while Caroline sprayed the remaining lotion into the other girl's face. "All better."

Katherine got up, muttering curses as she gathered her blanket and walked away. "What is _wrong_ with her?" Caroline asked as she stood with her hands on her hips.

"No idea, love," Klaus said as he came to stand beside her.

"Dear God. You again," Caroline moaned.

"Yes, me, again. Why am I getting the distinct impression that you are not happy to see me so soon?" Klaus inquired as the man who had come with him began to chuckle.

"What's so funny, Marcel?" Klaus snapped, glowering at the man he had said was his friend the day before.

"Nothing," Marcel said, staring at the lapping waves with a wide grin.

Klaus scoffed. "You think that this is funny, do you?"

"Why would you get that impression, Klaus? I think that you're paranoid," Marcel retorted with a grin.

"Take that back to you little psych student girlfriend," Klaus snapped bitterly.

"I would, but we're no longer going out," Marcel replied, his grin slipping.

"Oh, what a pity," Klaus said but Stefan knew from having to deal with Damon for years that Klaus was lying.

"I'm Caroline," Caroline informed Marcel, holding out her hand, causing Klaus to bristle. "And this is my sister, Hayley," she said, looking at Hayley who nodded at Marcel.

"Whoa, two _stunning_ young ladies in the family. Those must be some really _good_ genes that your family had to work with," Marcel replied.

"Hayley's _adopted_ ," Caroline blurted and Hayley rolled her eyes toward Stefan who gave her an apologetic look. They knew that Caroline was not known for her ability to be subtle.

"Sorry," Caroline said and Hayley smirked at her.

"Uh, huh," Hayley replied.

"I'm adopted, too," Marcel said.

Klaus coughed loudly. "Well, now that all the formalities are out of the way would you two like to join us for lunch?" Looking down at Stefan, Klaus added. "And you're welcome to join us… I'm sorry. I never caught your name."

"Stefan," Stefan told him, holding out his hand and shaking Klaus'.

"And are you Hayley's boyfriend?" Klaus inquired.

"No, he's mine," Caroline joked but when Klaus' expression darkened, she began to squirm. "I'm kidding. He's my stepbrother. Full name Stefan Salvatore. To make a long story short: Stefan and Damon's dad married my mom, then they adopted Hayley."

"So, who's the oldest?" Marcel asked.

"Damon," the three Salvatores answered.

"But he acts like the youngest," Hayley said with a laugh. "I'm the second oldest by two years. And Stefan and Caroline are the same age and are the youngest."

"Which makes you how old?" Klaus inquired, looking at Caroline.

"Eighteen," Caroline told him.

" _Barely_ legal," Marcel coughed behind his cupped fist.

"Thank you for that my friend," Klaus snapped with a tight smile. "Now, what was your answer about lunch?"

"We can't. We have plans with friends," Caroline said quickly.

"We _do_?" Hayley's eyebrows shot up and she looked like Damon for a moment.

Caroline nodded fervently. "Yes, we do. I caught up with Bonnie, Lexi and 'Lena and made plans for lunch so that we could catch up. You know that we don't have any of the same classes together this semester."

Hayley frowned. "They're not my friends, Care. Have a nice time." She turned and walked away.

"Is she _always_ like that?" Marcel asked.

"Like _what_?" Caroline asked, pretending as if she didn't notice the way that Hayley had flushed red and her body had stiffened when Caroline mentioned her group of friends.

"Nothing," Marcel replied. "Have fun with your party. I'm going to go find Bekah."

"Yes, do that and make sure that she is not with that chap from last night. You know the one I mentioned, with the big mouth," Klaus ordered Marcel who nodded.

"You mean _my_ _brother_ ," Caroline inquired while shooting darts at Klaus with her eyes.

"No, I think there was _another_ one. His name was Tyler something," Klaus said thoughtfully.

" _Tyler_? Tyler Lockwood?" Caroline's jaw dropped.

Stefan groaned inwardly. Apparently there would be no peace during this vacation. "Do you know him?"

"Yes, he's my ex-boyfriend," Caroline said, slapping a hand to her forehead.

"Oh," Klaus did not look happy about that news. "He was with another man and a woman."

"Matt and Vikki?" Stefan inquired.

"Not a clue, mate," Klaus replied.

"Oh, God," Caroline said, looking like she was going to be sick. "I need to go inside. I think I'm going to vomit."

"Do you need assistance?" Klaus asked Caroline who looked like she was about to throw up on his shoes.

"No," Caroline cried before running away from them.

Klaus looked confused. "Is it something I said?" he asked, watching Caroline tear off across the beach.

"No, it's just she and Tyler were really happy together and then one day they just weren't. It's like one of those break ups where it's not really anybody's fault but it still hurts when you see them kind of thing. Also it wasn't even a year ago so it's still kind of fresh for Care," Stefan explained.

"Oh," Klaus seemed to be at a loss for words. "You like Shakespeare?"

"Yeah, and you?" Stefan sat up straighter. Maybe he could make a friend while he was here.

"Yes, but I'm more of an artist than a reader myself. I become lost in my works," Klaus said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his loose pants.

"I envy people who can paint. I'm not terrible at drawing, but I'm not great at it either. I'm more of a writer," Stefan said with a chuckle.

"And what do you write about?" Klaus asked.

"My life and the world around me," Stefan replied.

"Well, then. Perhaps you would like to join me for lunch and keep me from feeling the doldrums of being surrounded by my older brother, Finn, and his fiancée. Sage is rather fun once you get to know her, but Finn finds having a sense of humor a challenge." Klaus looked hopeful as Stefan thought about it.

"Sure, I don't really have anything to do right now," Stefan said, getting up, he folded his chair and then grabbed his book.

"Thanks, Stefan, you're doing me a large favor. Remind me sometime and I shall repay you in kind. I'm not quite sure how it is that the rest of the family found a way out of this but they managed nevertheless," Klaus was saying as they walked back into the inn.

"Where are we going?" Stefan asked as they made their way back to Stefan's room he was sharing with Damon. Pulling out his key, Stefan unlocked the door and then wished he hadn't. "Oh," Stefan said as he noticed that Damon had returned, and he was not alone. Closing the door quickly, Stefan looked at Klaus. "Do you have anywhere that I could store this?" He gestured to the beach chair.

"Sure, you can leave it in my room with my brother, Kol," Klaus replied. They walked down the hallway and Klaus unlocked the door to find a young man standing in front of a mirror and fixing his hair.

"Nik, where is that vixen that you've been telling me about? And you said she has a sister, yes? I refuse to leave this place without getting laid this year," the young man said and Klaus looked at Stefan apologetically.

"Kol, this is Stefan. Stefan, Kol," Klaus introduced as the young man looked away from the mirror, smirked at Stefan and then went back to his grooming.

"Hello, I would say it was nice to meet you, but I was expecting some young strumpets, not a lad," Kol said.

"Those _strumpets_ are _my_ _sisters_ ," Stefan said causing Kol to stop playing with his hair and turn to stare at him.

Coming over to Stefan, Kol placed both his hands on Stefan's shoulders. "I share my deepest regrets with you, young Stefan. You see, I, too, know the horrors of having a strumpet for a sister. But, alas, my misery is of the _single_ type, not a _double_ torture on the soul."

"Kol wants to be an actor," Klaus told Stefan who nodded.

"Or a director. I have no idea which will get me more ladies. Whichever it is where I shall light," Kol said with a happy grin.

"Ass," a female voice called from the doorway.

"Strumpet! Did you hear your name being called from afar and decide to attend to us, the men folk of your family?" Kol asked Bekah with a large grin.

"Look, you little troll," Bekah snarled as Marcel wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up so that she would not come flying across the room and attack her brother. "I shall have your eyes on top of my dresser in a case to show others what happens to those who annoy me," Bekah threatened.

Kol began to laugh. "I thought your usual form of punishment was to _date_ a man," he said and then grinned mischievously. "Thank the good heavens that I am out of that running, unlike some people." He gave Marcel a knowing look before going back to playing with his hair.

Stefan set his chair down in a corner and quietly walked backward and out of the door. "So, that's your family?" He asked Klaus while they walked away.

"Yes, that would be a crazier version. When you meet Finn and Elijah, you'll know what I mean," Klaus replied.

"When will I meet Elijah?" Stefan asked.

"No idea. But he's around here somewhere. Probably trying to find a quiet corner to work on his PhD reading list," Klaus said. Stefan would have asked what Elijah was majoring in but then he heard a scream from down the hall that sounded like Kol in pain and then a triumphant yell from Bekah. Somehow it reminded him of his own family and made him feel better. Maybe they weren't so odd after all.

 **Reviews mean you care.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and for reviewing.**

 **If the guest who asked me if Caroline, Damon, Stefan and Hayley are "actual siblings, half-siblings or something else?" is still curious: Damon and Stefan are blood related. Caroline is their step-sister because Liz married Giuseppe and Hayley was adopted. I think I was looking at a review from a different story when I answered yours last time. Sorry for the confusion.**

 **Guest: Thank you. I wish other people thought the same.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. Thank you for coming back and if you have time, please, review. On with the show…**

Chapter 4: A Lot Like Love

Feeling the urge to break into Damon's room, take his car keys and peel off into the sunset or considering it was noon the sunlight, Hayley plodded down the hall. She was angry. Scratch that, she was furious. 'How dare Caroline ask her to go out to lunch with those little monsters she called friends?' Hayley thought darkly. They had made her life hell in high school. Sure, high school was over and she had a new life but that did not make up for how she had been treated.

Not paying attention to where she was going, Hayley rounded a corner and ran into a man. A very, very tall, young man. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" the man asked, taking ahold of Hayley's elbows and she could only stare up at him.

"Who the hell are you?" Hayley asked and then kicked herself. That was rude. Blame it on the fact that she was angry at her sister. That didn't mean that she had a right to be mean to this man who had yet to do anything to deserve it.

"I'm Elijah," the man replied with a chuckle and Hayley felt herself smiling back at him. "And you are?"

"Hayley," Hayley told him, brushing her hair behind her ear and staring up at Elijah, feeling her heart begin to pound in her chest.

"Hayley, I think I've heard that name recently but I can't remember. Are you friends with my sister, Rebekah?" Elijah inquired politely.

"No, I don't know any Rebekahs," Hayley replied even though the name sounded familiar. She just couldn't remember why and right at that moment she didn't care. All she knew was an Elijah.

"Are you on vacation, Hayley?" Elijah asked and Hayley simply nodded as he smiled, looking bemused by her inability to speak.

"Yes, I am. I'm here with my family. But they seemed to have ditched me," Hayley explained.

"I'm here with my family as well but it was I who ditched them due to my need to study for an important exam," Elijah explained.

"Oh," Hayley felt disappointment wash over her as she looked at her feet. "Well, good luck." She started to walk past Elijah to get to her own room when Elijah slid his hand around her elbow.

"Wait," Elijah whispered and Hayley looked up at him questioningly.

"My brother, Kol, was telling me this morning that this was supposed to be a vacation and that that meant that I should get my nose out my bloody books and enjoy myself…" Elijah stopped speaking and then chuckled to himself.

Hayley felt confused as if she were missing a private joke and was now waiting to see if Elijah would let her in on it. "And…?"

"And I have only had the company of my books and my family for so long that I am not sure that I still possess the ability to have fun," Elijah replied with a look of chagrin.

"Oh," Hayley began to laugh and Elijah's eyebrows lifted. "I'm sorry. It's not you. It's just that I'm not really the one to go to on the subject listed as "fun." That would be either my brother, Damon, or my sister, Caroline."

Elijah began to tap his chin thoughtfully. "So, you, too, have a large family."

"I suppose you could say that. There are four of us total. How many do you have?" Hayley asked him, leaning against the opposite wall.

"Six. However, we lost my youngest brother, Henrik when he was a boy. Now, there are just my three brothers and our younger sister," Elijah said, a shadow passed over his face as he spoke of Henrik.

"What was Henrik like?" Hayley asked quietly.

"He was happy. A bit of a wanderer. He liked the woods. That was how he was killed. Some trigger happy fool wanted to go hunting during the non-hunting season. We had been camping and Henrik asked Niklaus to take him to see if there were any wolves out. He was shot." Elijah took a breath as he spoke and exhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you to tell me the story," Hayley whispered.

"It's quite alright. I loved my brother and now he is gone. It is a story that should be told so that someone else does not lose someone that they love because of the stupidity of someone else," Elijah told her and then changed the subject. "Would you like to go to the beach?"

"I was already there and it's pretty crowded," Hayley replied.

Elijah nodded. "Where would you suggest we go instead?"

"Do you have your own room?" Hayley asked him. Elijah's lips pursed and it dawned on Hayley what he probably thought that she was suggesting. "Oh, no. That's not what I meant. I mean…"

"You wanted to go somewhere quiet," Elijah replied.

"Yeah," Hayley told him. She felt relieved that she had not given him the wrong impression.

"It's just down the hall," Elijah began to walk in that direction. Hayley looked around to make sure that no one saw her before she entered Elijah's room. Apparently the woman at the front desk liked Elijah because his room was much larger than hers or Damon and Stefan's.

"Nice place," Hayley said, looking around and Elijah chuckled. "How long have you been here?"

Elijah decided to play along. "Oh, about a week. You know that it takes some time to get settled into a new place."

"Yeah, I live with my sister in this little apartment but Damon was talking about buying a house so that we would all be stuck together again," Hayley said, absently picking up a pillow and fluffing it.

"And is that what you want, Hayley?" Elijah questioned her.

Hayley smiled wryly. "No one asks me what I want that often. Usually we all argue and then we do whatever Damon wants. But you should know all about that being the oldest and all."

"That is not how it works in my family. It is usually Niklaus who commands center stage unless I feel that he has gone over the line and then I have to stop him," Elijah told her.

"And how does that work out?" Hayley asked, grinning at Elijah.

"Horribly," Elijah replied with a rueful smile. Sitting down on the bed, Elijah leant back against the headboard and grinned. "Let's, you and I, flee this place and start over fresh somewhere far from here."

Hayley laughed and sat down on the end of the bed. "Yeah, that sounds like a great plan. Let's go travel the world."

"I always to go to Japan," Elijah informed her.

"Yes, and Australia, I always wanted to see a kangaroo in person," Hayley added excitedly.

"And Switzerland. We could go skiing in the Alps," Elijah said dreamily.

"How about Canada? I think it would be fun to go to Toronto," Hayley told him thoughtfully.

"How do you feel about New Orleans?" Elijah asked.

"I've always wanted to go there. That would be amazing," Hayley gushed. "Oh, and we have to go to California. I just want to see you on a surf board."

"You could see me on one of those now," Elijah replied.

Hayley laughed, "What I meant was that I wanted to see you without your shirt on?" Then she kicked herself. What was she becoming, Caroline or Damon, with all the subtleness of a brick.

"You could see that now, too," Elijah said. Getting up, he pulled his shirt off and Hayley felt herself gulping. "Now that we have managed to pass several hours, would you like to reconsider the idea of going out to the beach with me?"

Hayley looked over at the clock and realized that it was now five in the evening. Surely her family had found somewhere other than the beach to hang out. "Sure," Hayley told him. Taking the hand that he offered her, Hayley got up and walked out of the room and down the hall with Elijah. It was nothing short of a miracle that she managed to avoid any of her family members as they snuck outside and onto the sandy beach.

When they were close enough to the shore that Hayley felt that not too many people would see her she undressed, pulling her shirt and jean shorts off. Running into the waves, Hayley felt free of all the things that irritated her. Turning, she found Elijah coming to enter into her personal space. "Hi," she said, feeling irrationally shy as she looked at the man in front of her.

"Hi," Elijah replied. Hayley was not sure who took whose hand first. But at some point she found that they were bobbing in the water, holding hands and smiling like idiots at each other.

"Do you feel like you're on vacation yet?" Hayley asked as Elijah wrapped his free arm around her waist and she wrapped her legs around his body, pulling him closer.

"Yes," Elijah replied as his mouth moved closer and closer to hers. She could almost feel his lips when something hit her in the side of the head.

"Owe," Hayley yelped.

"Sorry," a voice called to her and she turned to glare at the person and found herself face to face with Matt Donovan.

"Shit," Hayley muttered.

"Hayley, what are you doing here?" Matt asked with that good-natured grin that had made many of his classmates love him. "Hey, is Caroline with you?"

"Caroline?" another familiar voice cried out and then Tyler Lockwood appeared and Hayley groaned inwardly. "Hayley? Hey, is Caroline with you?" Tyler began to look around as if he thought that Caroline would appear from the water's depth. Hell, for all Hayley knew she would. Caroline said she wanted to try snorkeling during this trip.

"I have no idea where Care is, Ty. Why don't you go find her?" Hayley snapped.

"You know how rude it is to leave someone like that?" Vikki Donavon shouted as she surfaced from underwater. "Oh, look what the basketball team dragged in? Hey, Hayley. Oh, whoa. Is that a guy you're with?" Vikki began to giggle.

"Oh, go stick something up your nose," Hayley snapped suddenly reverting to high school Hayley and then regretting it.

Vikki began to laugh as she bobbed in the water. "I prefer chill pills. Maybe you should try one sometime? I mean really, Hayley, you're so grumpy. And FYI, baby, I'm not the one who started the rumor that you played for the same team. I started the one about you being one of those freaky chastity people. But it looks like you're about to prove me wrong. Or is this your husband? Oh, man, Matty, I guess I lost the bet. It looks like Caroline won't be the first one down the aisle."

"Why don't you drown, Vik?" Hayley growled. "Or maybe I'll help with that." It took Matt, Tyler and Elijah to keep the two girls from attacking one another. Elijah dragged Hayley out of the water and onto the shore.

"What exactly was that?" Elijah demanded as Hayley began to pace around the beach.

"That," Hayley gestured outward toward the water where her three former classmates were still bobbing, "is why I hate high school drama. Stupid, freakin' vicious people. They're not even people. Who treats another person like that, huh? It's just so beyond comprehension. I'm just so glad that I'm no longer in that school."

Elijah was frowning and Hayley stopped pacing. She was afraid that she had just made him think that she was an idiot who could not hold her temper for a millisecond. Feeling foolish, Hayley turned her back on Elijah. "Hayley, it is alright to admit that you were hurt. However, it is time to move on with your life. You do not need to sink to their level. Learn to simply walk away."

Nodding, Hayley turned to face Elijah. "Do you want to walk me back inside?"

"Yes," Elijah replied and he took her hand as they walked back into the inn. Stopping in front of the door to the room she was using with her sister, Hayley had no idea what to say. Elijah leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and then smiled. "Good night."

"Good night," Hayley replied. Opening the door to her room, she walked inside and then went in search of her hair brush. Ridding her hair of its many tangles, Hayley looked in the mirror. Elijah was right. She needed to get on with her life. She was not the same Hayley Salvatore she had been in high school.

Pulling the door open to her room, Hayley turned and shut it. Inserting the key and twisting, she formulated her plan. She would say that she wanted to ask him about… something. Yes, something. She just needed to think of what that something was. Heading down that hallway, she looked around before tapping on Elijah's door.

After a pause, Elijah came to the door in a towel. "Hayley," he barely had the word out when she leaned forward and kissed him. Taking a step back, Hayley bit her lower lip and waited to see how he would react. Staring down at her with a blank expression it took Elijah a moment to react before he wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her off her feet. He closed the door with his free arm.

Within minutes, Hayley found herself on her back. Elijah's towel was on the floor and so were her clothes. "Elijah," Hayley said, her voice barely rising loudly enough for him to notice but he did.

"Yes," Elijah murmured, stroking her hair behind her ear.

"I haven't really done this before," Hayley told him, feeling her cheeks flush red.

Elijah looked confused, "You mean have sex with a stranger. Because we don't have to."

"No, I mean I've never done this period. With anyone. My brother, Damon, he kind of made it really hard for me to have a boyfriend, ever, really, so I never got to this point with anyone before…" Hayley trailed off awkwardly.

"Oh," Elijah rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "That's…"

Hayley felt really stupid at the moment. "I shouldn't have said anything…" her voice trembled as she sat up and looked for her clothes.

"Yes, you should have," Elijah replied, sitting up. He slid an arm around her waist and kissed her bare shoulder. "How do think I would have felt if I had gone ahead and then realized? I know that you do not know me that well but the last thing I would want to do is hurt you."

Hayley turned to look at him as tears trailed down her cheeks. Cupping her face, between his palms, Elijah kissed her gently and she turned around, leaning closer to him. He pulled her body to his and they laid down side by side as he began to kiss her body, making her smile.

Hours later, the sun had gone down and Hayley lay in Elijah's arms, feeling quiet content. "So, how is your summer vacation going so far, Elijah?" she asked teasingly as she peeked around her shoulder at him.

Elijah leaned over, pressing his face against her bare shoulder and looking down at her. "It's looking to be my best to date. Thank you, Hayley."

"I'm happy to hear it," Hayley told him. She yawned, feeling the urge to sleep taking over. "I need to go."

"Or you could stay," Elijah replied, pressing a kiss to her shoulder blade.

"I can't, my family will kill me if they cannot find me," getting up, Hayley dressed quickly before she walked to the door. "Good night, Elijah," Hayley said as she opened the door. Elijah got up and walked over to the door. Leaning outward, he kissed her gently on the lips.

Parting, Hayley grinned as she turned to find a furious Damon glaring at Elijah. Before she could speak, Damon's fist collided with Elijah's jaw and her lover hit the floor. "Damon, what the hell?" The heavenly part of vacation just went up in smoke and back to hell she went.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and for reviewing.**

 **Rune Saint: Thank you. I know but I think that all of the Mikaelsons had a flare for the dramatic. I think that Damon would go with a Liberal Arts degree so that he could take whatever he wanted and impress the ladies with his knowledge of art, literature, etc. and he would minor in behavioral studies so he could get in people's heads.**

 **amke00: Thank you and I'm happy that you're enjoying the story thus far because I really enjoyed writing these chapters.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about how long it took to post this chapter but my old computer died. And for anyone who has been waiting for some Klaroline action, this is your chapter. On with the show…**

Chapter 5: Mystic Pizza

The sounds of loud angry, shouting caused Caroline to drop her curling iron on the floor and to come rushing out into the hallway. Rounding a corner, because the noise was that loud, she found Damon yelling at a man who was lying on the floor with Hayley crouched over the man in question. Coming closer, Caroline noticed that Hayley was stroking the side of the man's face who was sitting up and looking up at Damon warily.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked tentatively. Damon continued to glare down at the man that Caroline was not sure she had ever seen before.

"He didn't _do_ anything wrong, Damon!" Hayley was yelling and crying. Holy shit, Hayley Salvatore was crying, and not because she broke a bone. Hayley rarely cried about anything. No, that was Caroline's job growing up. She cried when Damon broke her doll by smashing it repeatedly into a wall. She cried when Hayley convinced her that on her sixth birthday that she would be taken back to her native planet and married to the prince who had eight arms and kissed with his stomach. She cried when Stefan said he was moving out and joining the circus and Caroline would be left with Hayley and Damon because he had wanted another brother.

Yes, Caroline Salvatore cried about many things growing up and after the age of twelve many of those things pertained to boys. However, her older sister was the one who did not cry about things related to boys. Instead, after she was forbidden to date so and so, she would come into the family home, take something that Damon liked and heave it through his bedroom window. Their parents had to replace a lot of windows between Hayley's thirteenth and seventeenth birthdays. One day she just gave up on dating. Then there were no more broken windows. Just Hayley going to her room and closing the door with the radio turned up to the maximum level or Hayley going out to shoot some hoops.

Watching her sister cry over a boy, in this case, literally, Caroline was dumbfounded. "He didn't do anything!" Hayley yelled again, her voice gaining strength because of all of the things that the Salvatore siblings had one thing in common: anger was their go to emotion, and when they became angry, it was not a pretty sight.

Getting up, Hayley began to punch Damon's chest until Stefan appeared with that Klaus guy. "Hey, Hayley, calm down. Stop it. Now!" Stefan demanded as he took ahold of Hayley's wrists.

"What in the hell is going on?" Klaus demanded, staring daggers at Damon and then looking down at the man who was finally getting to his feet. "What did he do to you, Elijah?"

Caroline frowned and then it dawned on her. "Oh, no."

No one was paying any attention to her when they were joined by too many people for Caroline to count. 'What was this now, a hall party?' She thought in bewilderment when the Bekah girl came to stand in front of the man whose left eye was swelling shut.

"Elijah, what happened?" a tall man with dark hair asked. The red haired woman the man was with came to stand in front of Elijah.

"It's not that bad. I've seen much worse. But the guy certainly knows had to hit," the red head announced as she patted Elijah on the shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"I know that," Elijah. "Hayley, I."

Elijah was cut off when Damon held up a shaking hand, "You don't get to speak to her, you pig!" Taking Hayley by the arm and pulling her away from Stefan, Damon started to yank her down the hall but found that it was cluttered with people. "Get out of my way," he growled.

"What's going on?" Marcel called as he appeared with another younger dark haired man.

"Yes, who hit Lijah? And why wasn't I there? Everyone knows I love a good fight!" the young man said with a grin.

"Shut it, Kol!" Bekah snapped.

"Rebekah, get Elijah some ice, please," the man who had yet to be identified ordered Bekah.

"Yes, Finn," Rebekah replied with a sigh. "Out of the way!" she snapped and people moved.

"What is going on out here?" Elena cried as she came into the hallway with a bewildered look.

"None of your damn business, Katherine!" Damon snapped, barely sparing her a glance.

"That's Elena," Stefan and Caroline replied.

"Whatever," Damon snapped, holding onto a struggling Hayley.

"Get the hell off of me!" Hayley snarled.

"Oh, this looks like fun," Katherine said as she appeared at Caroline's side. Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Did _you_ hit Elijah?" Klaus demanded, glaring at Damon. Hayley ducked quickly just as Klaus swung and hit empty air. Hayley took that opportunity to escape from Damon's grasp and threw herself into Elijah's arms. Damon reached back and punched Klaus in the jaw.

"Oh, that's sexy," Katherine murmured. "Why did I break up with him again?" Caroline folded her arms and was about to retort when Klaus flung himself at Damon and they hit the floor. Katherine began to cheer. "Fight!" as the two men rolled around. "Whichever one wins gets to take me out tomorrow night."

"Ew," Caroline muttered. "Damon stop it!" she yelled, nudging Klaus with her foot which did not seem to help anything.

After five minutes, Finn and the red head yanked the two apart. "Had enough, or do you want to fight me?" the red head asked Damon who was wiping his bloodied lip with a wide smirk.

"Why would I want to fight a girl?" Damon asked.

"Oh, Sage is not a girl and trust me, you do not want to fight her," Finn told Damon who shrugged.

"Oh, Nik," Rebekah said as she appeared with the ice bucket.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Fight's over. Everyone can go now. Shoo!" She began to wave people away. "What happened?" she asked Hayley when enough people had gone in.

"Ask him!" Hayley snapped, pointing at Damon. Taking a handful of ice, she took Elijah by the hand. She pulled him back into what Caroline thought had to be his room and closed the door.

Damon went over to the door and began to knock on it. "Come out of there, right now!" he demanded to the sound of silence. He was startled when someone placed their hand on his shoulder and he turned. "Katherine," Caroline heard him snap as "Katherine" took a handful of ice she had collected into the shirt she had pulled off and pressed it to his swollen lower lip. Damon looked questioningly down at the girl. "Elena?"

Caroline switched her focus to Stefan who was watching his brother and his ex. He drifted off and back around the corner of the hall. Caroline was going to go after him when she heard Rebekah telling her brother off. "You want ice, take care of it yourself, Nik," Rebekah told Klaus whose right eyelid was beginning to puff as well as his left cheek.

Rebekah grabbed Marcel's arm and walked away. The remaining Mikaelsons followed Rebekah and Klaus' friend; leaving Klaus to tend to his own wounds.

Rolling her eyes as Klaus stuck his hand into the ice bucket and tried to place a fist full of ice over his eye, without causing more pain, Caroline stepped forward. Taking off the button down shirt that she had over her tank, Caroline took Klaus' hand and tipped it to the side. Emptying the ice in Klaus' hand into her shirt; she pressed the ice to his eyelid. "Why are you being nice to me, Caroline? I just beat your brother up."

Caroline smirked at him and then looked at Damon. "I would say you beat each other up. Now, let's go before Damon decides he wants to go for round two," lacing her arm around Klaus' waist, she directed him around the corner and down the hall. She would find out from Hayley what had happened later or tomorrow morning. "Want to get dinner?"

Klaus' eyebrows scrunched together. "I've been asking you for nearly twenty-four hours to go on a date with me and _now_ you ask me?"

Rolling her eyes, Caroline forced herself to not smile at Klaus. "Don't read too much into this. I simply need to eat and you need to get out of here before Damon changes his mind and comes looking for you."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much, Caroline," Klaus snapped, pulling away from her. He headed down the hall and then tripped.

Coming to stand over a now kneeling Klaus, Caroline cocked her head to the side. "You were saying?"

"Bloody hell," Klaus muttered. Looking up at Caroline, he held out an arm and she helped him to his feet. "I suppose that I could use some help until the swelling goes down," pressing the makeshift icepack to his eye, Klaus smiled ruefully. "Where would you like to go for dinner?"

"I was thinking about this little Italian place that I went by early today when I was catching up with some old friends. I read on the sign outside that they make their own ice cream instead of the stuff that comes from a box," Caroline was rambling happily as Klaus listened to her.

"Nik," Rebekah called as Klaus and Caroline walked down the stairs. Marcel was at her side and was typing away on his cell. " _Where_ are you going?" Rebekah demanded.

"We're going to dinner," Klaus announced, causing Marcel to look up and grin at Klaus.

"So, you wore her down in the end, huh?" Marcel asked, placing a hand on the back of the chair that Rebekah was leaning against.

"It's not what it looks like. It's just dinner. Not a dinner where two people go and say that it's a date. Because this," Caroline waved between herself and Klaus. "Is so _not_ a date. We are not dating. We will not date. This is all about vacationy needs to not be stuck with my crazy family the entire time I'm here."

Rebekah smirked at Caroline. "Whatever you want to call it. Marcel and I have nothing to do so I suppose that we shall join you." Stepping away from the chair and sweeping her hair behind her shoulder, Rebekah headed toward the door.

Caroline scoffed at Rebekah's haughty behavior, crossing her arms over her chest. 'Who did that girl think she was, the Queen of England?' Following "Queen Bekah" out of the inn, Caroline did not notice that she still had her arm tightly clasped around Klaus' waist to prevent him from falling. The walk toward town was pleasantly quiet. Marcel and Rebekah were talking in hushed tones ahead of them and Rebekah was walking with her arm linked through her brother's friend's.

Rebekah only spoke to Caroline when she wanted directions to the restaurant that they were dinning at. When they stopped in front of the restaurant, Rebekah sniffed before allowing Marcel to pull the door open and she walked in ahead of the group. "It's rather… quaint," Rebekah told them with a sneer and a disdainful roll of her eyes around the room.

"It's not so bad, Bekah," Marcel told her. "It's kind of intimate."

Rebekah began to scoff when Klaus wrapped his arm around Caroline's waist and guided her toward a small booth in a darkened corner. "Klaus!" Caroline tried to protest. It seemed a little too much like mood light for her taste and she did not want him to use this opportunity to try to change her mind about them.

"Bekah. Marcel," Klaus called, waving the two toward the booth. He was completely ignoring Caroline's muttered protests as he slid into the booth beside her. "Over here." Caroline watched the other couple. It looked like they were in the middle of an argument and she was now wondering if it was all about the place they were eating at. Rebekah shook her head and came to sit across from them.

"Hello, what can I get you?" a waitress asked the group.

Rebekah asked for a glass of red wine and the waitress raised an eyebrow. "I. d., please?"

"Excuse me?" Rebekah snapped, her eyes narrowing. She opened her mouth to say something else when Marcel placed a hand over hers.

"We'll both have Cokes. Thank you." Marcel told the waitress with a wide smile.

"The same for me," Caroline said and Klaus smirked.

"A glass of red wine. Thank you," Klaus told the waitress as he slid his i. d. toward her. She picked it up and then handed it back to him with a wide smile.

Rebekah sniffed and leaned back into her seat with her arms folded over her chest. " _Who_ did she think she was?"

"Bekah," Marcel began when Rebekah sat forward with a gleam in her eye.

"What do you think happened with your sister and my brother that made that brute of a brother of yours punch poor Lijah, of all the people? If it had been Kol or Nik I would understand but…" Rebekah began to grin when Klaus glared at her from across the table. "Although it did look bad. Lijah in that sheet and her all teary eyed."

"Hayley's not my sister!" Caroline blurted. Then she mentally kicked herself. That was the second time during the first official day of their vacation that she had said that.

"Nik is our half-brother. Nevertheless, he is our brother and I would die for him," Rebekah told Caroline seriously. "And what does that have to do with what happened between her and Lijah?"

"It doesn't," Caroline replied with a sigh. "It's just sometimes she tells me everything like we were together forever. And sometimes she just kind of shuts down and pushes us all away." Thinking about what could have happened, Caroline's eyes grew wide. "Oh, oh, my God."

" _What_?" Rebekah's nose scrunched up as she stared at Caroline, feeling confused.

"They had sex!" Caroline blurted.

Rebekah looked at Klaus and they began to laugh. Caroline and Marcel were left to stare at each other in confusion. "No. Not Elijah!" Klaus told her with an amused look. "If Elijah were to have sex, it would probably be with one of his books."

"Oh, what a mess that would be!" Rebekah cried and then the group cracked up as the waitress came to bring them their drinks.

"That's not as bad as this one time I walked in on Kol when he was thirteen and he was…" Klaus began to say and Rebekah nearly fell out of the booth.

"My poor doll. The little pervert ruined my favorite doll," Rebekah told them and then began to shake her head, her face turning red. For a moment Caroline did not know whether Rebekah was angry or amused until Rebekah began to laugh until tears ran down her cheeks.

"I heard that Klaus," Marcel started when there was the sound of a bang from under the table and then he cried out as Klaus began to rub his own knee. "Ouch, man, get a sense of humor," Marcel snapped at Klaus and then began to chuckle.

"Can't afford one. Father won't give me a large enough allowance," Klaus told him, causing Rebekah to tip over. Marcel grabbed her, steadying the Mikaelson sister as she giggled. "See, Bekah, you didn't need the wine. You're tipsy already."

"How long have you to been going out?" Caroline asked Rebekah as she and Marcel smiled at each other and then turned to look at Caroline, startled.

"They're not," Klaus replied for them, taking a sip from his wine glass. Caroline turned to look at him, her eyebrows rose as he looked back at her over the rim of his glass. "Would you like a sip, love?" Klaus asked, holding the glass out to her.

Biting her lower lip, Caroline took the glass and took a generous sip before handing it back to Klaus. He smiled as the waitress came back and he ordered another glass, half of which would be drunk by Caroline over the course of dinner. "I'd like a pizza," Bekah told the woman. "With pineapple and peperoni."

"Pineapple?" Marcel stuck out his tongue. "That's disgusting."

"No, it is not," Rebekah protested with a pout.

"I'll have the rigatoni," Klaus said decisively, folding his menu.

"I'll have the same," Caroline told the woman as Klaus smiled at her.

Somewhere between dinner and desert Caroline began to relax so much so that when they were leaving the restaurant she didn't notice when Klaus slid his arm around her waist during the walk home. He swung an open bottle of red wine in his other hand as they walked toward the beach. Rebekah was enjoying the wine that she was sipping from the plastic cup that they had picked up along the way. Marcel was telling them a story about his old girlfriend in which she had studied paranormal phenomena and she had been confronted by an angry ghost. "It demanded her underwear and a bag of chocolate," Marcel ended the story and the group began to laugh.

"I hated that girl," Rebekah told him.

"That's 'cause you love me," Marcel teased her.

"Do not," Rebekah replied, shoving him away.

"Do to," Marcel shouted. "Rebekah Mikaelson _loves_ me!"

Caroline threw back her head and laughed at the antics of her new friends. When she stopped laughing, she looked at Klaus who was smiling at her in such a way that it sent a shiver up her spine. "What are you grinning at?" she asked him with a nervous giggle.

"You'll find out," Klaus told her and Caroline wondered what that was supposed to mean as she hooked her arm through his and they headed back to the inn. She had two more weeks to find out.

 **If you have time, please, leave a review. It means a lot to me as a writer to know what you think of this work.**

 **Thanks for reading, faving, following and for reviewing.**

 **Answers to reviews:**

 **amke00: Thank you. I'm happy that you enjoyed the chapter and in this story Damon thinks that dick is synonymous with brother.**

 **Rune Saint: They are, aren't they? Damon is super protective of his sibs in this fic and helps anyone who he thinks will hurt them in any way.**

 **Guest: There will be more. I promise.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovely readers. So, for all you Delena fans out there; this one is for you. On with the show…**

Chapter 6: She's All That

Growling, Damon Salvatore banged the front door of the inn open. Walking out into the night, he strode out toward the beach. 'Stupid, freakin' kids,' he thought as he walked along the wooden walkway out toward the parking lot. Hayley refused to come out of that guy's room. Stefan had wandered off and he couldn't find him. Caroline had gone off with that brother of the jerk who was with Hayley. What the hell was wrong with everyone?

Staring up at the moon, Damon cursed this trip. The only good thing that happened was when Elena freakin' Gilbert had applied ice to his wound. Elena. What hell was wrong with her? Didn't she know him well enough by now to not be nice to him? And what was wrong with him for allowing her to be? She was the spitting image of Katherine. The love of his life. Or so he had thought at one time. Damn it.

Striding across the parking lot, Damon remembered Elena tipping back her head and laughing as he downed another shot in some random bar in Georgia. He had been damned determined to make sure that Stefan did not make the same mistake he did years before. Proposing to a Gilbert girl was a horrible mistake. They would chew you up and spit you out. Therefore he knew he was doing the right thing when he had talked Elena into going to Georgia with him.

Of course Damon had not said that they were going to Georgia when he called Elena and said he needed to talk to somebody. She had protested when they went over the state line. "This is kidnapping," Elena had shouted angrily at Damon. He had nodded along. In the end he had convinced her that it was just going to be a day in which they shook off their cares and had some good old fashioned fun. So, she had given in and they had ended up at a bar.

When Elena's phone went off, Damon had hit speaker phone after seeing that it was Stefan. Not hearing Stefan say anything over the sound of the noise in the bar and seeing the call end, Damon had felt satisfied with his work. Weeks later when Stefan and Elena were graduating and there were no announcements of wedding bells in the future Damon had felt relieved.

Now, Damon felt angry at himself. What if he was wrong to break the pair up? One day Stefan would find out the truth and he would never speak to Damon again. How Stefan would find out, Damon had no clue but that seemed to be his luck. Someone would find out and Stefan would punch Damon and he would deserve it. Then his brother would turn his back on him. Maybe one day when Caroline found the man of her dreams and was entering wedded bliss she would force the two brothers back into the same room. But who knew how long that would take?

Blowing out a deep breath, Damon strode onto the sandy beach and blinked as he looked out toward the shore. There seemed to be a small group of people who actually knew what a vacation was supposed to be about. Maybe Damon could join them and find someone to take his mind off the horrors that the next two weeks seemed to have to offer.

Walking toward the shoreline, Damon felt his body stiffen. He should have known that it was too good to be true. He heard the happy shouts of his younger sister and she whirled around in a circle faster and faster as the other people in her little group cheered, Damon forced himself not to smile. It was nice to see Caroline looking so carefree but as he neared, he spotted the reason why. The other blonde girl, Rebekah, was pouring herself a drink out of a nearly empty wine bottle. "Faster, Caroline, faster," Rebekah called.

Damon frowned as the man he had fought earlier in the day caught his sister around the waist and cupped her chin in his hand. The man, Klaus, was about to kiss Caroline when Damon coughed loudly. "Gee, is this a private party or can anyone join?" He smirked as Klaus turned his head to look at Damon, his eyes glazed but that did not dull the glare he was sending Damon's way.

"The more the merrier," Klaus replied as he allowed the hand that was on Caroline's face to drop but the arm he had around her waist remained. "Sorry, you're a bit late. Just ran out of booze but you're welcome to stay." Klaus' invitation came with a sneer as he tightened his arm around Caroline.

"I think that we should retire for the night," Rebekah said as she looked up at Damon with hooded eyelids and a flirty smile. "Good night, Damon," she murmured as she walked toward the inn.

Damon grinned at her as she walked by and barely noticed the way that Klaus' friend walked by without a word. Caroline followed behind them and Damon didn't think about the missing member of their group until he felt his arm wrenched behind his back, violently. "If you ever so much as lay a finger on Rebekah I will call the police. Do we understand each other, mate? She's still a bloody minor and if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your hands off all the members of my family. I don't care if Lijah had it off with your sister, Hayley, or not. If he did you can believe that that is what she wanted. Got it?" Klaus snarled into Damon's ear. Damon felt his arm being yanked until he replied.

"Sure," Damon said and he felt Klaus relaxing his grip. "I will be happy to wait for little sister, Becky… until she's is all grown up and then I'll treat her just as nicely as I'm sure you plan on treating mine." Feeling the pressure increase once more, Damon did not regret his words. He knew the kind of guy that Klaus was. Get a girl drunk and then take her back to the inn. A little moonlight. A little music and they're putty in your hands. Not his sister. He would kick this guy's ass all the way up and down the damn shore first.

"Hey, what're you doing?" a voice called and Damon looked up to see Elena Gilbert hurrying toward them. She had a piece of driftwood clutched in her hand. It looked like it would fall apart after you hit it against the slightest object but she was holding it tightly like she thought it would make a good weapon. Damon felt himself chuckling. "Get off him," Elena yelled at Klaus, lifting the piece of driftwood and waving it at him.

"I'm done, sweetheart, he's all yours," Klaus told Elena as he let go of Damon and walked away.

"Dick," Damon said as he watched Klaus walk away.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I thought I heard something when I came out for a walk and your sister was coming in when I was going. But she didn't say anything… and wasn't that the guy that you were fighting earlier," Elena's head twisted to look for Klaus but he was already out of sight.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal," Damon told her. "What are you doing out here? Didn't anyone ever warn you about being out after dark by yourself?"

Elena smiled and shook her head. "I guess I keep forgetting I'm not in Mystic Falls anymore. I needed to go for a walk and clear my head. What are you doing out here?"

"Same thing," Damon told her and then turned to look out at the ocean. "So, why aren't you in there with Bonnie and Lexi doing whatever it is you girls do during summer vacation?"

Shaking her head, Elena grinned as she looked out at the waves and shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "Because all Bon and Lex can talk about is this guy who did them wrong. You wouldn't happen to know anyone like that, would you?" Damon narrowed his eyes as he peered down at Elena. He was pretty sure that she was mocking him and by the gleam in her eye he would say that he was on the mark.

"No, I don't believe that I do," Damon replied slowly. "But you'll have to tell me if you see him. I'll have to alert my sisters."

"Oh, my God," Elena suddenly shrieked and Damon turned to look at her, startled. He thought that she might have been hurt as she looked up at him with huge eyes.

"I see him. He… he's right there," Elena lifted a trembling finger to point at Damon and then began to laugh as Damon rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha, you got me," Damon told her and she grinned.

"Score one for me," Elena congratulated herself. Beginning to do a dance that involved her wiggling her hips, she began to laugh even harder when Damon began to imitate her.

"Hey, don't stop on my account," Damon cried, taking Elena's hands in his, he began to show her some of the latest dance moves he had picked up in the last six months.

Tripping over her own feet during one of the more complicated moves, Elena started to fall on her face. Throwing both of his arms around the girl, Damon found himself staring into the eyes of someone he could not imagine being this close to in a million years. "Hey," Damon said, feeling his heart begin to speed up. 'It was only because she looks like Katherine,' he tried to convince himself.

Straightening up, Elena rolled her eyes. "Well, it looks like high school is over but I can still be a huge klutz."

"I never noticed that you were that klutzy when we were in high school," Damon replied as they began to walk down the shoreline.

"That's because you were so into…" Elena stopped herself when she saw Damon begin to frown. "Football. You know I remember this one time that we had what was, two minutes on the clock and we were getting out asses kicked. And then Caroline tells us to start cheering: Damon, Damon he's out man. If anyone is going to win this game he can!"

Damon chuckled, "Yes, that's my sister. Very creative."

"What are you complaining about? We won," Elena reminded him.

Grinning, Damon replied, "Yes, I did."

"You have such a swelled head," Elena giggled as Damon began to feel his head.

"Dear, God, I think you're right. I might even be growing as we speak. Oh, the pain," Damon groaned as he fell onto the sand. "Oh, I think it's about to explode. Wait! False alarm."

Elena dropped down beside him and stared up at the stars. "My parents used to take us on vacations to the beach every summer. This is the first one that Jer and I got talked into going to since they died." She held up a hand and began to draw a line in the direction of the sky.

Propping himself up on his elbow, Damon stared at Elena feeling curious. "Watcha doin'?"

For a moment Elena seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. "I'm tracing my own constellation," she replied dreamily.

"You mean someone bought you one?" Damon inquired. That seemed like something Stef would do or some other lame ass weirdo. Not that Stefan was a lame ass weirdo. Most of the time.

"No," Elena adjusted so that she could look at Damon and then she blushed. "It's stupid."

"Tell me," Damon encouraged her and Elena shifted uncomfortably before speaking.

"You'll think I am the lamest person ever," Elena told him.

Damon began to stare up at the stars. "If you don't want to tell me, then you don't have to."

Elena sighed before holding out her hand. "Give me your hand." Damon looked at her, wondering what she was up to. "Don't worry. You're safe. Now, close your eyes."

"Why do I have to close my eyes?" Damon gave her a questioning look as Elena sighed loudly.

"Do you trust me?" Elena asked him, staring him in the eye.

Damon smiled back, "I don't trust anyone."

"I'm not anyone," Elena replied. "Now, do you trust me?"

"Whatever," Damon replied. Closing his eyes, he waited for Elena to do whatever it was she had planned for his hand. With any other girl he might enjoy this game but with his little brother's ex, he wasn't so sure.

"Think of a shape," Elena instructed Damon. His eyes snapped open and he stared at Elena like he thought she had gone insane.

"What?" Damon asked, feeling confused.

"Close your eyes and start to trace the shape of the object you are thinking of and then when you open your eyes see if you can match it up with the stars," Elena ordered Damon. She laid on her back and began to show him what she was talking about with her eyes closed. "I used to do this all the time when I was growing up when no one was around."

Damon shook his head. Closing his eyes, he began to trace the shape of a football. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he could actually find the outline of a football if he stared long enough. "Huh," he said and then he had an idea. "Give me your hand," holding out his hand, Damon waited for Elena to take his hand.

Elena was smiling as she looked at him. But she didn't give him her hand. "Why?"

"Don't you trust me?" Damon inquired teasingly. Elena smirked at him and scooted closer. Holding out her hand, she placed it in Damon's. "Now, close your eyes," Damon told her. He began to trace a line with his eyes closed.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked him with a laugh.

"I'm tracing the constellation Delena. They are the greatest of friends in the galaxy. They've known each other for about a billion years and every year they go to a beach they dance under the full moon until the sun comes up. Then they tell each other everything about their lives for the past year. You know, because that's what best friends do. And on their last day together they lay down under the stars and fall asleep dreaming of the day that they'll meet each other again." Damon whispered as he finished tracing the lines and then laid their hands down together.

"That was a wonderful story, Damon," Elena told him and he popped an eye open to find her staring at him. "Who did you steal it from?"

Damon shook his head. "I have no idea. But I do know that it's getting late and we should probably go in."

"Okay," Elena said as Damon got up and pulled her to her feet. They dusted the sand off their clothes and walked back to the inn in silence. Stopping in front of Elena's door, Damon leaned down on impulse and kissed Elena on the cheek.

As Damon turned to go, Elena placed her hand on his arm. "Damon, do you think that Delena would meet each year if they were real?"

"Yeah, I think that maybe if they had a strong enough friendship they would," Damon replied with a nod.

"Okay. Good night, Damon," Elena said as she unlocked her door.

"Good night, Elena," Damon whispered as he turned to head down the hall. Coming to stand in front of his door, he unlocked it and pushed it open. "Damon," Damon was surprised to find Elena standing in front of him.

"Hey, I thought you went in for the night," Damon replied.

"Did you two enjoy yourselves tonight? I thought that sandy beaches were our thing. That hurt my feelings," the girl that Damon had thought was Elena told him with a smirk.

"Katherine," Damon groaned.

"Yup," Katherine replied. "Don't worry about it, Damon. I'm a big girl. I can understand how you might get distracted. But just remember that there's nothing like the original." She walked away swinging her hips as she went.

Damon rolled his eyes as he walked into his room that he was sharing with Stefan and closed the door. Turning back around, he locked it just in case Katherine decided to come visit. Looking over at Stefan, he noted the regular swelling and slow deflating of his brother's chest as he slept. Going over to his own bed, Damon pulled off his shoes and laid down.

Staring up at the ceiling all he could see was Delena written in the plaster. What was he doing? This was just wrong. And what the hell was Kat up to this time? Rolling onto his side and staring at the wall, Damon decided to go to sleep and ignore the new complications. It was only two weeks. There couldn't be that much that could happen in two weeks. Closing his eyes, Damon felt himself drifting to sleep with visions of his family and a girl with brown eyes who liked to make up constellations filling his head.

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is Stefan's chapter. On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Some Like it Hot

The day after the world exploded or Damon went crazy and tried to beat a stranger up, Stefan faked sleep as Damon got up and left early. Getting to his feet, Stefan decided that he hated this vacation. Now, he was the one who wanted to steal Damon's car keys and take off somewhere where no one knew his name. Pulling the door open, Stefan was not shocked to find Katherine waiting for him.

"Hi there, sailor, want to get out of here for the day?" Katherine asked with a wide grin.

Stefan sighed. "Why not?" Locking the door, he fell into step with Katherine.

"Elena, where are you going?" Bonnie called as she headed in the opposite direction with Lexi. Lexi avoided looking directly at Stefan. It all always led back to one person. Damon. He was the reason that Lexi could no longer look at Stefan. Damon had slept with her; then rated the event on-line. As if that was not enough, he decided to download his findings and take them into his science class to turn in as a report after Xeroxing it and taping copies in all of the boy's bathrooms.

"I want to catch up with Stefan so we're going to get some breakfast. I would invite you to come. But this is something we need to do together, alone," Katherine told Bonnie quickly as she took ahold of Stefan's hand and practically dragged him down the hallway.

"As smooth as ever," Stefan muttered under his breath.

"What?" Katherine asked as she tugged him toward the steps.

"Nothing," Stefan replied.

"Salvatore," a man that Stefan was not sure he recognized and was not sure that he cared to, called out from his left. "Where are you off to? And who are you, lovely lady, and why has my good friend, Stefan, not been kind enough to introduce us?" the man asked, wrapping his arm around Stefan's shoulders so he could get away.

Katherine smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Katherine Gilbert. Sorry about Stefan's rudeness. Sometimes he gets all tongue tied."

"Oh, that's quite alright. We're all good friends here, right mate?" Before Stefan could respond, the man that was holding him hostage took Kathrine's hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "I'm the one and only Kol Mikaelson."

"Kol?" Katherine's smile became wider. "I think I met your sister, Rebekah, yesterday. She said that you're a prick or was it a prig?" Katherine shook her head as Kol's smile twisted. "Anyway, Stef and I are off to breakfast and as much as I would love to invite you, we're running late. Lots to do today."

"Oh, that's alright. I was just about to go out to breakfast myself in my brand new BMW," Kol said, pulling out a set of keys.

Katherine's eyes went wide as she stared at the keys. "On the other hand, I was thinking that maybe we might have room for one more," she said with a huge grin. "Can I drive?"

"Why not?" Kol replied as he tossed her the keys and Katherine let out a loud squeal of delight. Stefan rolled his eyes. Maybe if he was lucky they would ditch him after breakfast. Fat chance.

"Where were you planning on going for breakfast?" Kol asked Katherine as he slid into the passenger seat, leaving Stefan to sit in the back. That was fine with him. Hell, they could tie him on the roof and he wouldn't care. He tuned the two in the front of the vehicle out as he thought of the conversation from last night. He knew that Damon had been with Elena before. It hadn't shocked him because that was during Damon's "I hate all things Katherine Gilbert and want to make her suffer." Of course it would not occur to his older brother that sleeping with the girl that Stefan had planned on marrying was not just a blow to her twin but to his own brother.

No, Damon had been so focused on revenge during that period that he wouldn't have cared about who got caught in the crossfire. However, somehow Stefan had learned to let it go. They had never talked about it and Stefan had hoped that there would never be a time in which they would need to. But now that Damon had apparently decided that he was not done with Elena they would have to after all.

Sighing, Stefan stared out the window. How long had he been lost in thought he wondered as he looked around at the signs flying by. "Katherine, where are we?"

"Whereever the road takes us," Kol replied with a laugh. He turned the radio on and began to blast out hard rock. Stefan rolled down the window so that he did not lose his hearing. It was like being in Hayley's room when she was pissed about something which was a rarity. Not the part about her playing her music too loudly but the part where she actually allowed another person to be around when she was in that mood.

"We're here," Katherine announced suddenly swinging the car over in a dangerously quick left turn. Pulling into a tiny diner, Katherine yanked the car keys out and pocketed them before they entered the diner. "Oh, I smell bacon," she moaned.

"I love a woman with a good appetite," Kol remarked.

"Good. Because you're paying," Katherine told him with a chuckle as she walked over to a booth. She sat down at one end, blocking Kol's ability to sit next to her. When Stefan came over to the booth, she slid over. "Sit here, Stefan."

Stefan groaned inwardly before he sat down. He picked up a menu as Katherine placed a hand on his thigh and he nearly jumped back out of the booth. "Something wrong?" Kol inquired as he looked up from his menu.

Shaking his head, Stefan looked at the menu in front of him. Easing his hand under the table, he pulled Katherine's hand off his thigh and placed it on the booth. She started pouting as the waitress came over to serve them. "What can I get you?" the girl asked. She looked bored and frowned at the trio.

"Your number," Kol replied with a grin as the waitress smirked at him.

"How old are you?" she asked and Kol's grin widened.

"Old enough," Kol replied.

The waitress continued to smirk at him. "Then why don't you get back into your car and drive back to wherever you came from and find a girl whose stupid enough to fall for that."

Stefan felt himself smiling for the first time all day. "Could I get a cup of black coffee and a cheese _omelette_ with a side of toast?"

The waitress took Stefan's order down. "Do you want anything?" she asked Katherine who was still looking at the menu.

"I don't know," Katherine replied and then sneered at the girl. "What would you get?"

"A new attitude," the girl told Katherine whose jaw dropped. "But the French toast isn't too bad either."

Katherine opened her mouth to snap the waitress's head off when Stefan intervened. "Did you want something to drink with that, Kat?" he asked with a wide smile that he directed at Katherine.

Forcing a smile in return, Katherine looked at the waitress and spoke. "I'll just have water. I'm trying to watch my weight." Allowing her eyes to rove over the waitress's body, Katherine smirked at the girl. "It really is important to watch what we put into our bodies. I know that not everyone can do that but it's important to try."

The waitress chuckled. "Well, yeah, if you're auditioning for a role as a toothpick, I'm sure you're right." Picking up the menus, the waitress left them to deal with each other.

Kol began to flirt with Katherine as Katherine complained about the manners of the waitress. "She was such a bitch," Katherine was saying as the girl came back with their drink orders.

As the waitress was going to place the glass of water on the table, Katherine shifted to pull out her phone and her elbow went outward, running into the glass. Katherine's water glass fell down and poured over Kat's skirt, drenching it thoroughly. "You idiot," she yelled at the waitress who held her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing too loudly.

Shoving at Stefan, Katherine got to her feet. "You should be fired," she snarled in the waitress's face before she marched toward the bathrooms.

"Where did you find her?" the waitress asked as she pulled a towel out of her apron and began to wipe the table, her long blonde curls flying. Kol was happily staring down her top as Stefan moved backward to give her room. The girl raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't bite, you know.

"Oh, please, tell me you'll change your mind about that," Kol replied and the girl who's name tag read Liv turned to stare into Kol's eyes.

"What's your name?" Liv asked with a wide grin.

"Kol Mikaelson," he replied, grinning back at Liv.

"Well, Kol, when I want a little rich boy to chase me around like a puppy, I'll look you up."

Liv stood up and walked away and Kol turned to watch her. "I like her. She has fire."

"I wish someone would set her on fire," Katherine said as she came back and Stefan got up. He stood to the side as Katherine slid into the booth and scowled, running her hands over the wet fabric of her skirt. "That girl is such a klutz. Did you see what she did with that glass of water? She did it on purpose. I should talk to the manager and get her fired."

"Would you like assistance getting that dry?" Kol asked, cupping his face with his hands and grinning at Katherine who tried not to smile.

"You're a pig, Kol," Katherine told him and then let out high pitched giggle. "But you're a fun pig so I won't tell you to take a hike yet. But don't get any ideas."

Kol shrugged undaunted. "Oh, it's hard for me to figure out what the right ideas are. Would you like to help me find them, Miss Gilbert?"

Katherine began to giggle just as Liv returned with their orders. "Do you think you can not throw the food in my lap?" Katherine inquired with a snarl.

"I don't know. Can you keep your elbows out the way this time?" Liv asked with a wide smile. She placed Kol's order in front of him and then placed Stefan's in front of him. Picking up Katherine's order, Liv held it out to Stefan. "Could you give this to the princess? I'd hate for there to be another accident."

Katherine began to snicker. "Well, if you weren't such a klutz, then we would be fine."

Liv picked up a bottle of syrup. "Would you like syrup with that?" she asked, holding the bottle over Katherine's skirt causing Katherine to yelp before Liv sat it down beside the plate of French toast. 'Have a nice day, princess."

"Bite me," Katherine muttered as she dug into her French toast with her fork. Her eyes widened with surprise as she swallowed.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked. He was ready to hear Katherine begin to complain about the food.

"This is the best French toast I've ever had," Katherine replied before pouring some syrup and then plunging back into her morning meal.

Stefan smiled as he ate his own food in blessed silence. Half an hour later, Katherine was humming contentedly as Kol got up. He pulled out his wallet and Katherine frowned before grabbing his wrist. "Stop," she ordered him.

Kol looked confused. "I thought you said that I would have to pay."

"Not today," Katherine said, looking around, she waved for Stefan to get up. "And now we leave. Go. Now!" She whispered. Pushing the men ahead of her.

Walking quickly behind Kol as Katherine continued to push him, it dawned on Stefan what Katherine was doing. When they were in the parking lot, he began to pat his pockets. "I left my phone on the table."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Go get it. Hurry!" She snapped as she got into the car and shoved the key into the ignition.

Stefan walked back into the dinner to find that Liv was cleaning up the table. She barely looked at him. "Classic dine and dash," she said as he approached her with grim smile. "Been there; done that."

Coming to stand next to Liv, Stefan pulled out his wallet. "You never know. Sometimes people can surprise you." Withdrawing a twenty for the meal, Stefan pulled out another twenty and handed it to Liv whose eyebrows scrunched together.

"What's this for?" Liv asked, holding up the folded twenty between her thumb and her forefinger.

"That's for putting up with Katherine and Kol, without throwing their food in their faces," Stefan told her.

"Oh," Liv laughed. "Actually I've had to deal with a lot worse. So, where are you and your friends headed?"

"I have no idea," Stefan replied with a grin and a shrug. "And they're not my friends."

"Oh, my God. Did they kidnap you?" Placing her hand on Stefan's arm, Liv gave him a sympathetic look. "Do you want me to call the police and report them?"

"That's okay. I'll deal," Stefan told her as she nodded. He walked with her over to the counter to pay the bill. He really didn't care if Katherine and Kol ditched him.

When Liv got done giving Stefan his change, she took off her apron. "And you were my last order for the day," she announced as she moved toward the back of the dinner.

"Hey, do you have plans for the day?" Stefan called. He could not believe that he was asking her that.

Liv popped her head from around a corner as she came out with a bag. "Why? Do you want me to come keep you company and keep you from being harassed by the princess?"

Stefan chuckled as they walked toward the door. "Yes," he replied as he pulled the door open.

"Such a gentleman. So, what's wrong with you, Stefan?" Liv asked him and he shrugged.

"Do you have a year?" Stefan joked as they approached the car and Katherine looked like she was going to throw a fit.

"What in the hell, Stefan?" Katherine yelled from the driver's window which she had unrolled. "What is she doing out here?"

"I invited her to come with us," Stefan informed Katherine as he pulled the door to the backseat open.

"Oh, no, you did not," Katherine yelled. "This car is not moving until you disinvite her."

"I say the more the merrier," Kol added with a grin aimed at Liv.

"That's two votes against you, Kat," Stefan told Katherine who glared at him as he got in with Liv. "And since it is Kol's car, he gets the deciding vote."

"Fine, I'll just find a ride," Katherine snapped, getting out, she strode away from the car.

Stefan rolled his eyes and gave Liv an apologetic look. "She can be a bit of a drama queen sometimes."

"Yeah, I can see that," Liv replied.

Stefan got out of the car and walked over to Katherine. "It was supposed to be just the two of us," Katherine cried out when Stefan caught up with her.

"Why, Kat? Is this some kind of game because I'm not in the mood," Stefan told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

Katherine ran her hands through her hair and looked defeated. "This was supposed to be fun. Do you have any idea the promises I had to make to Jer and Lena to get them to come? Do you?" She looked like she was on the edge of tears. "This was the first summer that I convinced them to go with me to the beach since Mom and Dad… And I just wanted us to have fun like we used to and neither of them want to even spend more than five minutes with me. I'm all alone, Stefan. It's our summer vacation and I'm all alone…"

"You could talk to them about how you feel," Stefan told her. Feeling pity for Katherine was not something that Stefan was accustomed to. He was used to Katherine the mean girl, not Katherine the girl who was dealing with hidden pain girl.

"They wouldn't listen to me," Katherine replied with a shake of her head. "They never do."

"Then forget them for today and just do something fun," Stefan advised her. "And one piece of advice. You're not still in high school, so a little compassion for others wouldn't kill you," he said as gently as possible and Katherine nodded.

"Okay. I'll try it. Thanks for listening," Katherine said as they headed back toward the car. Stefan nodded as they moved toward the car. Maybe he could live through this vacation after all as long as he could stay away from Katherine's twin and his older brother. Maybe.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Rune Saint: Thank you.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is Hayley's chapter. On with the show…**

Chapter 8: In Her Shoes

Easing down the hallway of the inn, Hayley kept an eye out for any or all of her siblings. Breathing out a sigh of relief when she spotted none of the three, she pulled out her key and slid it into the lock. It was noon and she figured that Damon would he out picking up girls, Stefan would be on the beach reading a book and Caroline would be out doing something like shopping with her friends. These thoughts were dispelled quickly when she walked in to find Caroline lying face down on her bed.

"Care?" Hayley called, feeling concerned and Caroline blinked one bloodshot eye open.

"Not so loud," Caroline moaned as she closed her eyes and pressed a pillow over her head.

"Caroline, what happened?" Hayley asked as she came to sit down next to her sister. Removing the pillow from Caroline's head gently, Hayley placed her hand on Caroline's forehead. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No, I'm hung over," Caroline told Hayley miserably as she wiggled closer. Pulling Caroline's shirt up, Hayley began to rub her back like she did when Caroline got sick when they were younger. Caroline sighed contentedly.

"And _who_ were you getting drunk with?" Hayley inquired lightly. She planned on getting Caroline a cup of coffee as soon as she forced out every last detail.

"The Mikaelsons," Caroline replied and Hayley stopped rubbing. "Don't stop. Please!"

"What do you mean you were with the Mikaelsons? Was Stefan with you?" Hayley asked. She flipped her legs onto the bed and crossed them as she leaned forward and began the process of kneading Caroline's shoulders while Caroline looked thoughtfully at her pillow.

"Nik and Bekah," Caroline replied. "And, _no_ , Stefan didn't come with us. But Nik's friend, Marcel, came with us. He's really nice and super funny. And I think he's kind of in love with Bekah. Actually, I kind of think that they're in love with each other." Twisting her head around, Caroline looked at Hayley. "And you were with their older brother, Elijah. What's he like? He's cute. Was the sex good?"

Gaping at Caroline, Hayley felt her face heating up as she began to grin in spite of herself. "Caroline Salvatore! I can not believe that you just asked me that. And I can not believe that you went out with Klaus Mikaelson. I thought that you said you didn't like him."

Caroline smirked, "So, it was so _bad_ that you'll do anything to avoid the subject…"

Laughing, Hayley grabbed a pillow and fell onto her back, grinning at the ceiling like an idiot. "It was so _good_ that he made my toes curl. I mean I thought that was just in those cheesy books you used to bring home."

"I knew that you used to read those!" Caroline shrieked and then moaned as her head began to ache. Flinging herself on top of Hayley, Caroline grinned down at her. "So, my big sister finally got some."

Hayley rolled her eyes and then giggled like a little girl. "Yes, and he is _so_ nice. I mean that's the best part." Staring up at Caroline, Hayley shook her head. "I think that I really like him. I mean like I like him more than any guy I've ever liked."

Caroline laid her head on Hayley's shoulder, hugging her. "I'm happy that you're happy. Now, we just need to find me a boy."

"A man," Hayley corrected Caroline thoughtfully, hugging her back. "Now, get off. You weigh a ton. It must be the distillery that you drank last night."

"I did not drink a distillery," Caroline whined in Hayley's ear, who winced. "It was a fourth of a bottle of wine."

"Oh, dear. Off to A. A. with you. Off. Now!" Hayley ordered, spanking Caroline on the butt, making Caroline jump and crawl off. "I'm going to get you a cup of coffee, my little drunkard."

"I'm a drunky," Caroline called as Hayley walked toward the door. "If you see any cute boys in the hall, give them my phone number."

"Yeah. Or not," Hayley said, turning to smile at Caroline who was curling up with her blanket up to her chin. Sometimes she loved the kid more than she loved anyone on the planet. Sometimes she wanted to strangle her. Walking down the hallway, Hayley wondered what Caroline had been doing with Klaus. Usually when Caroline had a bad opinion of someone it stuck. Except with Tyler but that was over now.

Continuing down the hallway, Hayley moved to the side as someone came out of one of the rooms. "Hey, Hayley. What's up?" Tyler called, as if by thinking of him, Hayley had conjured him up. That was unfortunate. There was a time that Hayley had thought that Tyler was cute and sweet with Caroline but then she noticed the way that he looked at other girls. It wasn't that she ever heard that he was cheating on Care. It was just that he was Richard Lockwood's son and everyone knew about the mayor's eye for the ladies…

In the case of Tyler and Caroline ending things, it had been a two person job. Between Damon and Hayley, they had worked hard to show Caroline that there was much more in the world than a small town romance. They knew that she should have more. They just didn't know who, if there was a who, she should share her life with. All they knew was that if she stayed with Tyler that she would simply get married, have babies and become Mrs. Lockwood the second. That was not the destiny that either Salvatore wanted for Caroline.

Therefore, they had insisted on taking Caroline to anything that would cause her to think of the world outside of Mystic Falls. There were trips to art museums. Dragging her to foreign film viewings. Anything that would paint a picture of a larger world. After a time they no longer had to talk her into to doing these things. Caroline began to subscribe to travel magazines and down went the pictures of boy bands, up went imagined itineraries of trips she would take. Feeling relieved, Damon and Hayley had backed off and waited for the breakup which came a year later.

Right now, Hayley wished that she could dig her way to China or anywhere that Tyler was not. "Hey, Tyler. Nothing that I can think of. If you'll excuse me, I have to get downstairs to get a cup of coffee."

"Oh, I was headed that way myself," Tyler replied and Hayley tried to think of another excuse to get rid of him. Coming up with nothing, Hayley plodded down the hallway. Maybe if she walked slowly enough Tyler would loose his patience and go on without her. However, he did not seem to be in a hurry to get where he was going.

"So," Tyler began. "Who was that guy you were with last night?" He inquired with a smile that made Hayley frown. It was one of those smiles that guys give each other. Who the hell did he think he was asking her personal questions?

"Just some guy," Hayley replied and Tyler nodded.

"Cool. Anyway, I was wondering if you had plans for lunch," Tyler replied and Hayley felt her eyes widen. Oh, no. He was not hitting on her. Was he? This was just too weird. "Because Matt and I were going to go and get something. And then we were going to go out on the beach and he wanted to know if you would want to hang with us."

" _Matt_ wants to know if I want to come to the beach with the _two_ of you?" Hayley felt like her world was spinning upside down. Since when did Matt 'everybody loves me' Donavon want to have lunch with Hayley Salvatore?

"Yeah, and if you want to bring anyone with you, that would be cool, too. I think that Elena was going to come. You're cool with Elena, right? Sorry, it's been a really long time since high school and I just can't keep track of who hates who. Wasn't that like a _million_ years ago?" Tyler scratched his head and then he thought of something else. "Oh, yeah, Vikki's _not_ coming. I know that you two had a thing yesterday but she's going to hang with Jeremy Gilbert today."

Hayley tried to absorb all of the information that Tyler was telling her. He did have a point about their not being in high school and maybe she could survive one day at the beach with these people. As long as it was just one… "Let me go get that coffee and see what else is going on, okay?" Hayley told Tyler.

"Sure," Tyler nodded. "Anyway, I'm going to go catch up with Matt. Hope to see you later."

"Uh huh," Hayley waved as Tyler hurried off. When he was out of sight, she allowed her smile to drop. Although she did not really want to go, maybe Caroline did want to and she should make some kind of effort to spend time with her sister, right? Heading down the stairs, Hayley found that there was already someone who was pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Klaus?" she called and Klaus turned to look at her with a frown. He had on a pair of sunglasses and looked worse off than Caroline.

"Hello?" Klaus pulled his sunglasses up and stared at Hayley. "I'm sorry, love, do we know each other?"

"Yeah, I'm Hayley. Caroline's sister," Hayley replied. "Damon introduced us that first night before he introduced his fist to your face. I guess that was kind of my fault. Are you okay?"

Klaus smirked at her before replacing the sunglasses. "Never better. How's that sister of yours? She was hitting the bottle pretty hard last night."

"It wouldn't be the first hangover for our little Caroline," Hayley told him with a roll of her eyes. Pouring out a cup of coffee, she hesitated before heading up the stairs with it. "So, what's up with you giving alcohol to minors, mister?" she asked, poking him in the chest with her index finger.

"I wasn't trying to get her drunk, if that is what your implying, Miss Salvatore," Klaus replied and Hayley shook her head.

"You better not, because it won't _just_ be Damon you have to deal with if you hurt her," Hayley warned Klaus as she walked past him.

"I fancy her," Klaus called after Hayley as she started up the stairs.

Pivoting, Hayley turned to look down at Klaus. "Oh?"

"I fancy Caroline. She has this light about her. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. She's brilliant and I think that I'd like to get to know her better, if you don't mind," Klaus said as he came to stand at the bottom of the staircase.

Hayley looked down at Klaus thoughtfully as he pulled his sunglasses up to look her in the eye. "Aright. I think that maybe I could arrange for her to go out on the porch around nine tonight and then we'll see how things go from there. It's all up to her after that."

"Yes, and I think that perhaps I can arrange for Elijah to get his nose out of that pile of books of his," Klaus replied as he grinned at Hayley and she felt like smacking him.

"Bye," Hayley said, turning away from Klaus and hurrying up the stairs. She found Caroline sitting in the bathtub with her iPod playing jazz music.

"Hey, Hales, Marcel recommended this band. He said that you hear this music all the time in New Orleans. That's where he and Klaus are going to college." Curling her knees up to her chest, Caroline smiled as she spoke. "Klaus told me that I should come visit. He told me that they have music, food and culture that would amaze me."

"Oh, I'm sure he did, kid," Hayley replied. Handing the coffee to Caroline, Hayley thought about what to say next. "I ran into Tyler."

Caroline's eyes widened before she turned to look at Hayley with a questioning look. "And?"

"And he asked if you and I would like to join him and Matt for an impromptu lunch party. I guess Elena's coming, too, so you shouldn't feel like it's some kind of set up or something. Although I'm not really sure what it is exactly." Hayley trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh," Caroline replied and Hayley began to laugh, causing Caroline to give her a startled look. "What's so funny?"

"That's how I reacted," Hayley told Caroline. "I had no idea what to say to him so I didn't tell him, yes. But I didn't say no either because, again, I had no idea what you wanted to do."

Caroline bit her lower lip, "What do you think I should do?"

Hayley felt surprised, "You want to know what I think _you_ should do?" This was one of the only times that Caroline had not had an opinion about what should be done about anything. It was rare for her to ever allow Hayley to play big sister to her.

"I think that you should go if that's what you want to do. Maybe it'll be healthy to be able to be around Tyler and say that you're done, but that you're in good place, with yourself," Hayley began. "But what do I know? Look at me, I just fell into a bed with a guy that I don't know anything about and who I'll probably never see again after this trip is over."

Caroline nodded, "I want to go."

"Okay," Hayley replied. She just hoped that she had given Caroline good advice as she walked out the bathroom door to give the girl some privacy.

"Hayley, what should I wear?" Caroline called and Hayley shook her head in amazement.

"Now, you want me to give you fashion advice?" Hayley felt like she was in an episode of the _Twilight_ _Zone_.

"Blame it on the hangover," Caroline shot back with a giggle.

Rolling her eyes, Hayley pulled out a red flowered summer dress that did not look too much like something Caroline would wear on a date. And she had seen plenty of Caroline Salvatore date dresses. No, Care would want to wear something that would not give the wrong impression. When Caroline asked for her makeup bag, Hayley shoved the dress through and Caroline did not hand it back. Hayley sighed with relief as Caroline came out half an hour later with non date hair and non date makeup. "Ready?" she asked and then looked at Hayley. "Oh, wait. No. You're not going out like that."

"Like what?" Hayley protested as Caroline began to riffle through her bags.

"Like pre-sex Hayley. Don't you feel any different?" Caroline asked, jerking out a short a purple dress that Hayley would never have worn before.

"No," Hayley said and Caroline rolled her eyes before dragging Hayley into the bathroom. After fifteen minutes, she allowed Hayley to leave in a pair of sandals, the dress with her hair pulled up and her face full of makeup. "Really, Caroline? Was that necessary to go to the beach?"

"Yes," Caroline informed her as they left the room. When they were walking out onto the porch Hayley looked up to find Elijah coming into the inn.

"Hayley, good morning," Elijah said with a wide smile.

"Elijah," Hayley breathed with a grin as she smoothed her hair behind her ear. "Hey."

"Are you going somewhere?" Elijah inquired politely as Hayley bit her bottom lip.

"We're going to the beach to meet up with some friends. Maybe we'll see you later," Caroline told him quickly as she took Hayley by the hand and pulled her away from Elijah.

"Have a good day, Hayley. Miss Salvatore," Elijah called and Hayley grinned at him before she looked at Caroline.

" _What_ was that about?" Hayley asked Caroline. That felt a whole lot like she was blowing off the guy that she had just spent an entire night with.

"That was you not giving him the impression that last night meant that you're his now. You've got to make it clear from the beginning of a relationship that either you're the girl with a life. Or you're the girl who will make her entire life about him. Which one do you want to be?" Caroline questioned Hayley.

Wanting to give her sister a good impression, Hayley forced a smile, "The kind of woman with a life."

"Good," Caroline replied with a wide grin. Hayley sighed inwardly. If she were lucky she could divide her time up between her family and Elijah. If she were not so lucky then between Caroline and Damon she could look forward to sending Elijah a Christmas card.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Rune Saint: Yeah, Stef being stuck with those two was a bit mean. With those three it would be sarcasm and zingers flying every second.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about the long wait. I thought this story would be complete last year but I am working to finish it now. On with the show…**

Chapter 9: Fifty First Dates

Feeling giddy, Caroline walked down the sandy beach with her arm linked through Hayley's. "Hey, everyone!" Caroline called giddily. She was not sure why she was so happy as she sat down across from Elena. "So, Hayley told me about this little get together and I could not resist coming," she informed the assembled group. Tyler looked happy. Matt was, too, scooping out something that looked like tuna onto bread and Elena looked just as dreamy as Caroline felt. Then the worst possible thing that could happen, did.

"This looks cozy," Damon told them as he came to stand over the picnic. He had an open bottle of bourbon clasped in his right hand and his shirt was unbuttoned. Elena looked up and flushed. "Good morning, E-len-a," Damon crowed with snicker, and Caroline frowned as Elena flushed.

"What do you want, Damon?" Caroline asked her brother, folding her arms over her chest. This was supposed to be a carefree get together between old friends and Hayley, not Damon invading like a group of red ants, causing everyone to flee the picnic with nasty red welts.

Damon frowned at Caroline and came to stand over her. "Hello, darling little sister. Where are your manners today? Oh, I know. They're with that Klaus guy that you were cozying up to with one of these," Damon held up his bottle and Caroline got to her feet.

"Go away, Damon. You're going to ruin everything like you always do." Caroline had spit out the end of the sentence before she had time to think it through.

Damon took a step back and nearly stepped on Matt's sandwich. "Dude," Matt snapped.

"Dude? Did you just call me dude?' Damon snapped back at Matt. Turning to face Matt, Damon stared down at him with a sneer. "Oh, I see you're here to chase after Lena now that Stef's done with her. Well, sorry to break it to you, Matty, but once you've gone Salvatore -"

"Damon, shut up," Elena shouted at Damon and then she shoved him, causing him to go flying, thankfully, over the food and onto the sandy beach. "Just go away and sober up." Elena shouted as her eyes welled up with tears.

"I think you should go," Hayley told Damon, getting up to help him back to the inn.

Damon waved Hayley away. "Leave me alone. Go back to your tea party and make sure that Care keeps her skirt down. That would be a lot more than you've been able to do lately." Before Hayley could retort Damon was striding away with a swagger.

"Ass," Caroline muttered unhappily.

"I should go after him," Elena said. Pushing herself to her feet, she ran after Damon before any of the others could stop him.

"I guess it's just us now," Tyler said. Rubbing his hands together, he looked at the food. "Who's hungry?"

No one else spoke as Tyler began to serve himself and Caroline looked at the waves coming in and receding. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. "If that's the worst thing that happens, that's no worse than junior prom," Matt pointed out.

"Hmmm…" Hayley seemed to be lost in thought. "What happened that night?"

"Huh, I forgot you weren't there," Matt said. Taking a look at Hayley he grinned. "But damn you look smoking today. Did you change your hair color or something?"

Hayley turned to give Caroline a long look, who was glowing. "I gave her a makeover," she announced proudly.

"Why?" Tyler asked, licking tuna off his fingers and peering at Caroline and then Hayley.

"Because my big sis finally went through her final rite of passage." Caroline announced.

"Huh?" Matt looked confused as Hayley shook her head in horror.

"Caroline," Hayley moaned, placing her hands over her face.

"Hayley finally had sex," Caroline said. Patting her sister on the knee, she smiled at the guys. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone knows that Tyler lost his during a Halloween party and everyone walked in on him. And Matty's whole two minutes with Lena on his fifteenth birthday was no big secret amongst us girls."

"Caroline," Tyler and Matt shouted and Caroline shrugged.

"Hey, at least yours wasn't in the back of some guy's car, who you never saw again," Caroline snapped and they became quiet.

"No, I never had sex in the back of some guy's car," Tyler told them and they cracked up.

"Good one, Ty," Caroline replied with tears running down her cheeks as she laughed.

"What were we talking about before Caroline decided to talk about everybody's sex lives?" Matt asked, looking amused.

"Junior prom," Hayley reminded him.

"Oh, yeah," Matt shook his head. "Who did I take to prom that year?"

"Vikki," Caroline said.

"No, that was Jeremey who took Vikki," Tyler pointed out.

"But Matt and Elena were broken up because I remember she came with Stefan," Caroline said and Matt stiffened. "So, who was it?"

"Huh," Tyler looked thoughtful. "You didn't go stag, did you?" he asked.

"No," Matt looked confused. "Oh, man. I took Bonnie because she was getting over Jamie and he had just broken up with her."

"Yeah, that's it. So, what happened there," Caroline felt confused.

"Huh?" Matt was now confused. "What do you mean what happened?"

"Why didn't you start going out with her, Matt? Seriously, Bonnie had a _huge_ crush on you!" Caroline told Matt who looked surprised.

"She did?" he replied and Tyler nodded. "Then she went out with Damon and she started to hate _all_ guys."

"What else is new," Caroline said. "Why did Elena go after him? He's just going to say something horrible to her."

"Maybe she likes him," Hayley murmured as she picked up a sack of chips and the others turned to stare at her. " _What_?"

"Elena does _not_ like Damon," Caroline said loudly, shaking her head fervently.

"So what if she does," Hayley rolled her eyes. "Maybe she'll make him happy and he'll leave us alone, finally."

"Take that back this instant, Hayley Salvatore," Caroline yelled at Hayley, pointing a finger at her sister who shook her head.

"Whatever!" Getting up, Hayley looked down at Caroline. "I'm going to head inside. Thanks for lunch," she told Tyler and Matt.

Caroline groaned, feeling exasperated. "Thank you for lunch," she told Tyler and Matt and got up to go.

"Hey, Care, wait!" Tyler called. He got up and began to walk with her. "I wanted to tell that you look really nice today."

"Thanks, Tyler," Caroline told him as they walked.

"And I wanted to talk to you about something," he began when she held up a hand. "Tyler, I already know. It was really nice seeing you, and all, but what we had was in the past." Caroline was trying to let him down gently but Tyler looked confused.

"Ummm, Care. I was going to tell you that Vik and I are getting married," Tyler announced and Caroline began to laugh.

Tyler's shoulders drooped as he stared at Caroline as she continued to laugh and then sobered. "Wait, you're not joking, are you?"

"No," Tyler replied. "We've been dating for a couple of months now, and we're happy. I had hoped that you would happy for me because I was planning on inviting you to the wedding but…"

Caroline shook her head. "No, Ty. It's me. I was being stupid. I just thought that the lunch was you trying to win me back or something. And I thought that Vikki was with Jer today."

"She is," Tyler replied. "I asked him to take her to lunch so that I could talk to you. I didn't want Vikki to get the wrong impression. They're meeting up with Jer's girlfriend, Anna."

"Oh," Caroline felt stupider by the minute.

Looking at the ground, then at Caroline, Tyler's face flushed. "I'll see you around. I guess. Bye, Care."

Caroline wrapped her arms around herself as Tyler walked away. She wasn't sure what she felt or how she should feel. That could have been her. The young woman on her way to wedded bliss. Walking back to the beach, Caroline found a quiet corner and sat down. Feeling tears pool in her eyes, Caroline gave into the feelings. It was cathartic or something that her freshman psych prof would say. Lying her head on her knees, Caroline sobbed until she couldn't cry anymore.

Grief. Yes, it had been a long time since Caroline had been with Tyler and they hadn't been happy in the end. But that didn't mean it didn't still hurt to hear that he was moving on forever. Sighing, Caroline looked out at the ocean at the waves receding. It was over. Really, truly over. Forcing herself to her feet, Caroline began the walk back to the inn. When she got there, she found Klaus, sitting in a chair and drawing. "What are you doing?" Caroline asked Klaus.

Klaus dropped his coal. Caroline bent over and handed it back to him before leaning back against the railing. Smiling at Caroline, and then going back to work, Klaus cocked his head to the side. "I would love to tell you, love, but it's not done."

"Oh," Caroline replied. "I can keep a secret if you want to tell me."

Klaus arched an eyebrow as his lips curved upward in a knowing smile. "No, love, you can't."

"Yes, I can," Caroline insisted. "How dare you think that you know me! You don't know anything about me!" Narrowing her eyes, Caroline tilted her chin upward in a defiant manner. "And stop calling me love. I'm _not_ you're love."

Setting his sketch pad down, Klaus sat back and stared up at Caroline seriously. "Did your sister _really_ have sex with Elijah, Caroline?"

" _Yes_ , she told me earlier," Caroline began and then growled as Klaus began to grin at her. "That was a _trick_. Oh, you are just… just _evil_."

Chuckling, Klaus picked up his sketch pad. "I've been called much worse. Now, why don't you tell me something else, Caroline, if you dislike me so, why are you here with me now and not with one of your friends?"

Caroline frowned. "I don't know. I… I was just with my friends…"

" _And_?" Klaus did not look at her as he began to add shading to the drawing.

" _And_ Damon crashed the party. And then Elena went chasing after him. And I don't know what's going on there. And Hayley thinks that Elena likes Damon. And Damon is a pig. And he's just going to hurt her. And my high school boyfriend told me that he's getting married…" Caroline sank down to the wooden slats of the porch and placed her chin on top of her folded arms.

Klaus looked down at her. "This high school boyfriend of yours is a fool to have had you and to have chosen to be with someone else."

"We grew apart," Caroline countered weakly.

Klaus nodded. "Yes, people do do that…" He then sat his sketch pad down and came to kneel in front of Caroline. "However, if you were mine, I would not have allowed you to go so easily."

Caroline felt tears well up again. "It wasn't easy… It wasn't easy at all…" Dissolving into tears, Caroline allowed herself to break down completely as Klaus slid his arms around her and picked her up. Sitting back down on the chair, he sat back and placed his head on top of Caroline's until she calmed down.

"Thank you," Caroline whispered hoarsely when she was done.

"For what?" Klaus asked, stroking her hair out of her face.

"For being my friend," Caroline replied before returning her head to its previous position on his shoulder.

"You're welcome, Caroline," Klaus murmured into her hair.

Looking up at Klaus, Caroline had to remind herself of who he was and who she was. "I have to go. My friends, Bonnie and Lexi and I planned a shopping trip. So, I've got to go or I'll be late," Caroline informed Klaus forcing on the perky girl smile to mask her depression. "I'll see you later."

"Yes, you probably will," Klaus called after Caroline and she felt her face heat up. Running up to her room, Caroline closed the door behind her, feeling her cheeks burn. Walking over to her dresser, she pulled out a pad of paper and then flopped down on her bed. Pros versus Cons of Having a Summer Romance she wrote at the head of a blank page.

Smiling, Caroline wrote under Pros:

You won't have your heart broken.

You can enjoy your time with the person without strings attached.

You don't have to worry if he doesn't call you after.

You can have really great uncomplicated sex.

You don't have to deal with giving him his stuff back after a bad breakup.

You don't have to meet his annoying friends.

You don't have to meet his parents who might be judgy jerks.

There were many more pros but Caroline was not in the mood to write a comprehensive list right at that moment.

Cons:

You might fall in love.

Biting her lip, Caroline sighed heavily before laying the pad of paper aside. If she fell in love with Klaus it could make the entire trip a disaster. Rolling her eyes, Caroline felt herself beginning to smile. Beginning to giggle. She walked over to her iPod and turned on her favorite playlist before she began to dance around the room imagining that she was in Klaus' arms. She forgot how great the beginning of romance could feel.

Stopping herself mid-twirl, Caroline decided to go check up on Bonnie and Lexi. If they came in or left without her, and Klaus saw them, he might ask them where she was and then he might wonder why she lied. Knocking on Bonnie's door, Caroline tapped her foot waiting for an answer. Bonnie came to the door with her hair in several different places. "Hey!" Caroline greeted Bonnie with grin.

"Is there someone in there with you?" Caroline stood on tiptoe, trying to peer inside the room as Bonnie wedged herself into the empty space.

"Hey, Bon, is that Ty?" Matt called and Caroline pressed her hands to her mouth.

"No, Matt, it isn't," Bonnie yelled back and Caroline began to squeal after Bonnie shut the door.

"Oh, my God! Bonnie. Look at you," Caroline laughed. "I can't believe it. So, you and Matt."

Bonnie rolled her eyes with a smile. "Yeah, he came by to talk and yeah. Anyway, what can I do for you, Care?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You two have fun. I will see you later," Caroline told Bonnie before she walked way.

Walking down the hall Caroline wondered where Lexi was but decided to not think too much about it. Smiling, Caroline continued to walk until she came to the end of hallway and heard a door open. Not wanting to run into anyone she knew, Caroline snuck around the corner.

"Damon, are you sure that you're okay?" Elena was asking.

"I'm fine, Lena. Like I said. I've been fine. I don't know why you or anyone would think I wasn't fine," Damon replied and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"I know that seeing her hurts you," Elena told him and Damon grunted.

"I'm _fine_ ," Damon snapped. "Now, why don't you go back to playing with your little friends and let me go back to what I do best."

"Because I _can't_ ," Elena protested.

" _Why_?" Damon snapped at her.

"Because I care about you," Elena yelled at him.

" _Why_ , Elena? I'm screwed up. I treat people like crap. I treat women like crap. I treat women like _you_ , like crap. Do you want to know what I do, Elena? Is that it? Do you want to know how it works from first-hand experience? And see I thought I was the screwed up one here. But I guess I was wrong. Or do you just like being in pain because I can recommend some really good websites if that's what you're into." Damon was interrupted by the sound of a loud slapping sound.

"You know what's wrong with you, Damon? Katherine hurt you and now you just go around feeling sorry for yourself and hurting people who are kind to you. But that's what you want, isn't it? You want to be all alone so you can say that you're right about everyone else. Well, you're _not_. Because I _care_. And I'm going to keep caring no matter how hard you push me away, I will just push back harder," Elena yelled at Damon and Caroline poked her head around the corner.

Neither Damon nor Elena seemed to notice Caroline's presence as they stared at each other. "You're an idiot, Elena." Damon snapped, glaring down at the girl.

"For caring about you. Probably," Elena retorted. "But you're not going to push me away."

"Yes, I am," Damon told her. "I always do."

"Not this time," Elena was not able to finish her sentence because Damon had grabbed her and his lips were pressed against hers to stop her from speaking.

"Seriously!" Caroline shouted, coming around the corner and placing her hands on her hips. Damon jerked away from Elena and then walked into his room, slamming the door closed. Caroline could not believe this. That was it, she and Hayley were going to have to put a stop to Damon's antics before this family vacation became their last one together.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Guest: I am sorry for the long wait. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Peace.**

 **Jessica**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is Damon's chapter. We're going to get some Damon/Klaus antics and some Delena and a whole lot of fun. On with the show…**

Chapter 10: Four Weddings and a Funeral

When Damon couldn't deal with a problem, he did the one thing that he had learned over the years always worked; he ran. Throwing some clothes in his duffle bag, Damon walked out into the hallway. Happily, there was no one there to try to talk him into staying. Moving along swiftly, he ran down the stairs and then headed out the door. Damon smiled because he knew he was home free when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Screwed someone else over and running Damon Salvatore style, with your tail between your legs?" Lexi called from behind Damon and he groaned. Yeah, that was what he needed, someone to bring him down.

"Gee, Lexi, I would love to stop and chat, but I'm too busy doing that thing called living. Try it some time," Damon shot back. "And I wouldn't do that thing with your face. It causes wrinkles," he called to her, waving his finger in a wide circle around his face.

Lexi scoffed, "You know one day you're going to wake up and find that you're all alone." Before Damon could retort a young man came out onto the porch and Lexi smiled up at him. "Hi, honey."

Rolling his eyes, Damon walked away from the PDA before he got sick on his loafers. "Get a room," he muttered.

Heading toward his car, Damon shrugged as he opened the car door. Then he spotted someone and smirked. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone. "Hey, Klaus," he yelled toward the man who was coming back from the beach with a sketch pad.

"Hello," Klaus stared at Damon with a not-altogether-friendly look as Damon grinned at him like they were long-lost friends.

"I'm going to get out of here for a little bit. Want to come?" Damon inquired.

Klaus raised an eyebrow. " _Why_? Wouldn't you rather go with someone who you had not been in a fight with?"

Damon shook his head. "I'm over it already. I think it was just boredom. Tell me that you've honestly never picked a fight with someone just because you had nothing better to do." Pausing to wait for Klaus' response, Damon chuckled when Klaus' gaze glazed over. Hopping into his car, Damon popped the lock on the passenger side. "Trust me. This will be the most fun you've had this summer."

Klaus hesitated before he got into the car and then sat back. "So, where are we off to, Damon?"

"A wedding," Damon told him.

"What?" Klaus looked confused. "I'm not dressed for one."

"Do you have a credit card?" Damon inquired. Klaus nodded. "Then we're gold."

"Whose wedding are we going to?" Klaus asked Damon.

"No idea," Damon replied.

Klaus turned to stare at Damon. "You mean that you're planning on crashing a wedding?"

"Yes," Damon nodded and turned on the radio. Finding a rock station, he turned up the music. "Actually we're going to several. It all really depends on how many we can find today."

Klaus grinned, "I think that you're quite insane, Mr. Salvatore."

"Is that a problem for you?" Damon quipped.

"Not at all," Klaus replied, relaxing into the passenger seat.

"Good," Damon pulled in front of a men's clothing store. Getting out, he found Klaus following him inside. It didn't take long for Damon's companion to find a suit that fit him properly. "Ready?" Damon asked Klaus who nodded as he adjusted his tie.

"Where shall we find these weddings?" Klaus asked Damon.

"Not a problem. You just drive around until you find a church or a hotel. Maybe a park. Then you mix in," Damon got back into the car. He kept a look-out for churches as they drove through the town proper.

"I spy with my little eye," Klaus smirked at Damon as he pointed out a church with a group of people filing inside. Damon checked out their clothing and grinned.

"Good job. Pulling over," Damon grabbed his bag and then began to undress. Yanking his pants on, he caught a girl, peering inside the car at him. She was wearing one of those putrid dresses in pale peach. Damon waved at her as he buttoned his shirt.

"You're really good at this, aren't you?" Klaus inquired as they got out of the car.

Damon shrugged. "I've have had some experience in this thing called having a good time."

Smirking, Klaus walked up to the church steps as if he belonged. As they entered the church. Damon sat down in a pew beside his new friend. Or at least, for the moment, they were friends. He almost fell asleep during the wedding ceremony part of the event. When it was over, he grinned and rubbed his hands together, "Now, the real fun begins." They followed the wedding party back to their reception.

"Klaus, man," Damon shouted over the music. "Have you met, Jackie? Jackie has a sister," he shouted over the loud music that the groom had chosen. Klaus grinned. It was an hour into the reception and they had been dancing and been drinking nearly the entire time.

"That's wonderful!" Klaus yelled back. "But I think that we have another engagement, right, Damon?" Damon nodded after asking Jackie for her and her sister's phone numbers.

"Okay. Let's go!" Moving through the crowd, Damon exited the door of the hotel and into the night.

"You're right. That was fun," Klaus said as they walked back to Damon's car. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, but we're not done," Damon replied. Klaus frowned and looked down at his watch. "What's wrong? Got somewhere better to be?"

"No," Klaus replied after looking at the road. "Not at all." It was four o'clock in the afternoon.

"Cool. Let's see. I'm thinking we head north this time," Damon said decisively. They ended up at a wedding in a park where the bride and groom seemed to want to mix in with the landscape. The reception was held in the same place. Damon took down all five of the bridesmaids' numbers. Damon was grinning as he allowed Klaus to pick the next wedding.

"Here," Klaus spoke up as he pointed to a lavish hotel. "There is bound to be one in there." Damon got out of the car and followed him.

When they entered the hotel, they found out that they had missed a wedding, but they were just in time for the reception. Walking into the room, Damon was feeling good, until he looked up to find that he recognized someone on the dance floor. Nope, that was going to ruin everything. Damon was hoping that Klaus had not spotted the couple until he turned to find the man staring blankly at the pair. "We should go," Damon announced, clapping an arm around Klaus' shoulders.

"No," Klaus snapped, shrugging him off. "I want to congratulate the happy couple," he snarled as he crossed the floor.

"Damn it," Damon groaned as he followed Klaus who had gained a lead of five feet.

"Marcel!" Klaus shouted at the groom.

Marcel turned to stare at Klaus in shock. He had his arms around a woman in a cream colored dress and looked shocked to see Klaus coming toward him with a look of rage on his face. "Klaus, I swear it is not what you think!" Marcel began when Klaus' fist met his friend's face.

"Marcel, what do you think? That I'm a _fool_! I knew that you were chasing around with Bekah. And now this," Klaus waved at the girl. "You bloody well get married to some other girl!"

"NIK!" a high pitched shriek made Damon place his hands over his ears. He did not know whether to blame the fact that he was drunk or the fact that Rebekah was so loud or whether that was just her natural state of being. "What is _wrong_ with you, you git?" Stomping over to Marcel, Rebekah yanked her skirt up so that it would not rip as she knelt down. "Are you alright, darling?" she murmured, placing her hand to Marcel's cheek.

"What is going on?" Klaus demanded as he swayed from side to side, looking from Rebekah to Marcel for an answer.

"We're married, Klaus," Marcel announced.

" _What_?" Klaus snapped. "Why would you bloody well come here and get married?"

"We didn't," Rebekah said with a roll of her eyes.

" _What_?" Klaus began to rub his temples.

"This is my friend, April," Rebekah told him slowly like she thought that her brother was stupid. "You met her during Christmas break. She told me that Marcel and I should have a proper reception since we skipped it when we got married during the winter holiday."

"You did _what_?!" Klaus yelled at Rebekah who rolled her eyes.

"Are you that _daft_ , Nik?" Rebekah yelled as the guests began to look at each other as the music paused. "Dance!" Rebekah bellowed at them and they complied.

"Bekah," Marcel whispered as he got up and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we should let Klaus take a moment to take it all in."

"Screw both of you," Klaus snapped as he turned his back on them and headed toward the front door. Flinging the doors open, he walked to the elevator and pushed the button.

"Nik!" Rebekah shouted from the entrance to the reception room.

Damon got into the elevator and they rode downstairs. Klaus strode over to the bar. "Vodka. No rocks," Klaus snapped at the bartender while Damon came over to lean against the bar beside him.

"It could be worse, you know, she could have married _me_ ," Damon told Klaus who scowled at him.

"My best mate and my sister get married and they don't even invite me?" Klaus muttered to the bar top.

Damon turned around, grabbing the nuts on the bar. "Want some?" he asked Klaus. Shuddering, the other man waved him off. Damon shrugged before stuffing nuts into his mouth. "Bourbon with a splash of coke." Watching the cute bartender walk away, Damon considered asking her for her phone number, but then thought better of it. There was only one of him and they had another wedding to attend. "Hey. Why don't we find one more _little_ wedding before calling it a night?" he inquired.

Klaus shook his head emphatically when Rebekah came over and took a seat beside Damon. "Martini. Dry with extra olives," the Mikaelson sister said before turning to Damon. "What in the bloody hell are you two doing here?"

"None of you bloody business," Klaus snarled, turning to glare at her.

Rebekah sneered. "I wasn't asking _you_ , brother. I'm asking _him_ ," she focused on Damon.

Shrugging, Damon grinned back at her. "Boredom leads to wedding crashing," he replied. "Don't you have a husband to not have sex with so long as you both shall live?" He smirked when Rebekah growled. He watched her take her drink, and rather than sipping, she inhaled the martini like it was water in a desert.

"Another," Rebekah demanded, biting into the olive at the bottom of the toothpick. When she drank three martinis, one right after the other, she ordered three shots of vodka and shoved the other extra two at Damon and Klaus. "To our health," she said, nodding at the men before knocking back her own. "Marcel and I did not plan on getting married," she finally spat out at Klaus. "We simply wanted a night to ourselves and we had a marriage license that we did not plan on using till later in the year…"

Klaus looked up and Damon watched the two look at each other for a long time. He would probably be pissed, too, if Care or Hales got married without at least inviting him. Not that they would. They knew that he'd wreck it for them. That's what he was good at. Wrecking everything good in his life. Like Elena. He missed her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Klaus interrupted Damon's thoughts.

"Because I didn't think you would understand." Rebekah shook her head, staring into her empty shot glass. "It was a lovely evening wedding and it began to snow when we left the church. I don't think I had ever been so happy."

"Well, I'm happy for you," Klaus whispered, he got up and went over to kiss Rebekah on the forehead. "Good night, my darling baby sister," he said before walking out of the bar.

Damon got up, throwing a tip on the bar. "Congrats," he told Rebekah before following Klaus out into the early evening.

"Where to?" Damon asked. Klaus did not respond so Damon decided to just drive around. When he spotted another wedding reception being held on someone's front lawn, he pulled the car over. "Okay. Just one more," he told Klaus who shook his head.

"Sorry. I've had enough of weddings for the day," Klaus called and then he fell asleep. Damon hoped he didn't drool onto the leather interior.

Walking amongst the guests, Damon stopped abruptly when he saw a girl with flowing brown curls in a lavender dress. She looked so pretty. Her name moved to the tip of his tongue. His desire to feel her in his arms coursing through his body and then she turned, and her eyes were blue, not brown. Not Elena. She smiled and moved toward him. "Hi. I'm Tiffany. And you are?"

Damon felt stupid. "I'm sorry. I've got to go," he said. Tiffany's lips spread in a shocked O of surprise when Damon turned and ran away from the party. He stopped beside his car, fumbling for his keys, when they crashed to the ground. Muttering curses, Damon found his keys and then opened the car door. Getting inside, he woke his baby up before driving away.

Klaus woke up on their ride back and looked startled. "Leaving so soon? I thought you had more numbers to collect?"

It was Damon's turn to not respond as he drove into the parking lot closest to the house they were staying at. "What's gotten into you, Damon?" Klaus cried as he got out of the passenger side of the car. Ignoring him, Damon ran into the inn and up the stairs. He nearly ran into a tall woman with honey blonde hair and long, long legs. Ordinarily he would have hit on her but he had somewhere he needed to be. "Sorry!" he cried.

The blonde said something but Damon continued to run up the stairs and down the hall. Stopping in front of a, now, familiar door, he began to knock when someone opened it. " _Elena_?" he asked, hoping it wasn't her evil twin.

"Damon," Elena replied. "You smell like a brewery," she told him, pinching her nose.

"I know. I'm sorry," Damon said, leaning into her personal space with his hands clasping either side of the doorframe. "I need to tell you something."

"Can it wait until you're sober?" Elena asked.

Damon shook his head. "No! It can't wait a minute any longer. Okay. I realized something," he started to rifle through his pockets. "I went and crashed a bunch of weddings," he told Elena, who frowned. Holding up a hand, Damon knew what would happen next. "Wait! Before you start getting all judgy, I need to say this," he held out the phone numbers to her.

"What are these?" Elena began to read them. "Denise at 999-0109? Sandra at 563-2919? Tandy at –"

Damon pressed a finger to her lips. " _Yes_ , those are other girls' numbers. A _lot_ of other girls' numbers –"

"Damon –" Elena began when he held up his hands.

"Elena! I don't _want_ them. I don't want _any_ of them. There's no other girl's number I want. I just want yours," Damon said quickly before his sense of self-preservation kicked into over-drive, as usual. He felt he couldn't breathe in the long minute it took for her to respond.

"Okay," Elena said.

"Okay?" Damon had no idea what "okay" meant.

"Okay. You can have my number. Let me go get a piece of paper and a pen," Elena said. She walked further into the room and then came back. Standing beside the doorframe, Elena wrote her number down. "Here," she held out the paper and smiled up at Damon.

"Thanks," Damon said, pocketing the piece of paper. "You wouldn't let me kiss you, right now, would you?" he asked her and she shook her head "no." "Right," Damon laughed before turning to leave. When he felt a tap on his back, he turned to find Elena beaming up at him before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

Grinning, Damon lifted the small brunette in his arms, feeling her legs wrap around his waist and kicked the door closed. They made-out like teenagers until they were both too exhausted to move. "I like you a lot," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her nose as she slept.

"I like you _more_ ," Elena said, causing Damon to realize she was not asleep.

"Elena!" Katherine cried, entering the room, without bothering to knock. "Oh, God! Ew! Damon! Seriously!" Katherine sneered at the two.

"What do _you_ want?" Damon snapped.

"The creepy old lady's _croaked_!" Katherine told them, looking a little too excited by the news. "Do you think that means we get to stay for free now because we're traumatized by finding her corpse?"

"What?" Elena got to her feet.

"She's downstairs. Inside her office. Kol went in there, looking for her to ask about the hot water failing and he said she must have gone in her sleep/" Katherine explained on their way out of the room and down the stairs. Most of their friends and family were already downstairs, staring at the sight until Elijah Mikaelson shut the door and ordered them all back to bed.

"That's _so_ sad," Elena said, pressing her cheek to Damon's chest.

"Only if we don't get a free stay. That hag was overcharging," Katherine snapped. "I'm going to bed."

Damon sat down on a couch with Elena while Caroline sat across from him looking haunted with Klaus stroking her shoulder. Kol sat atop the front desk with a look of shock. Elijah and Hayley were looking for any sign of contact info for the former owner of the inn. "This couldn't get any worse," Damon whispered to Elena when it began to rain and they looked up at a hole in the ceiling that began to drench them. "Or maybe it could."

 **RIP, caretaker of the scary place these summer vacationers are staying at.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.** **J**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, my lovey readers. I finished writing this story so there will be new chapters every week for the next five weeks. And we finally get to see Stefan's love interest. On with the show…**

Chapter 11: Until There was You

The day after the owner of the inn had been found dead, in her chair, in her tiny office, everyone was quieter than usual. Some of them had decided to stay in the front room while others headed upstairs to sleep. Stefan had been one of the people who had stayed up all night and was paying for it now. His head ached and he could not find his Aspirin in his luggage. Looking around the room, he spotted the bottle, sitting on top of Damon's nightstand.

"Damon, did you take _my_ Aspirin?" Stefan called to his older brother who had been singing loudly in the shower.

"Huh?" Damon asked, coming out of the shower in a towel that barely stayed together on his hips. "Did you say something, Stef?" Damon asked, moving across the room to grab his clothes. Dropping the towel, Damon began to dress while Stefan stared at the ceiling.

"Did you _take_ my Aspirin?" Stefan asked through clenched teeth.

Damon took a long moment before he replied. "Yeah. I had a killer hangover and I have to be at my best for a little breakfast get together with Elena and the Mikaelson's that Caroline orchestrated. She expects _all_ of us to show up," Damon told Stefan, tapping him on the shoulder. "While we're out, you should buy me some more Aspirin, 'cause you're out, buddy."

Stefan felt the urge to kill his older brother when Caroline poked her head inside the room. "Hey, guys. We're ready to go whenever you are," she told them.

"I was planning on taking a shower," Stefan told her, hooking a thumb toward the bathroom when Hayley appeared beside Caroline.

"What's taking so long?" Hayley asked them. "I need coffee, like yesterday," she looked from one of her brothers to the other one.

"Come on, Stef. You've got no one to impress. Let's get out of here," Damon grabbed Stefan by the shoulders and propelled him out the room, ignoring the younger Salvatore's protests.

"Whose car are we taking?" Rebekah Mikaelson could be heard saying.

"I have more room in my mine," a tall, honey blonde haired woman told them.

"I call shot-gun!" Kol yelled.

"You do every single time, brother," Elijah sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, his irritation apparent until he saw Hayley. "Ah, there you are," he greeted her with a kiss and Caroline made a gagging noise while Damon joined her. Kol decided to add his own retching sounds.

"Enough!" Elijah yelled at them, causing Stefan's head to throb.

"Good morning, Stefan!" Katherine cried in his ear, kissing him on the cheek. "Are you ready to go?"

"You're _not_ coming!" Damon shouted at Katherine while Stefan pressed his hands over his ears. Elena came out in the hall and she began to argue with Damon. Stefan felt happy he could not hear them.

After a couple of minutes, the group began to head downstairs. Everyone could not stop talking and Stefan wished he had his iPod with him on his way down the stairs. "I think I forgot something," he told them.

Turning around, Stefan ran back into the inn, which was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Literally. He entered his shared room with Damon and picked up Damon's iPod because he could not find his. Closing the door behind him, Stefan hurried back down the hallway, with his head down when he nearly ran into the girl who had been with the Mikaelson family. "Excuse me," Stefan said.

The woman smiled at him. "That's better than what your brother offered as an apology last night," she told him, folding her arms over her chest.

"Damon can be a bit of an ass," Stefan retorted with a smile.

The woman laughed. "I take that as an understatement." Her posture relaxed as she looked down the hall and then back at Stefan. "I don't think it's been this quiet since I arrived, late yesterday evening," she told him.

Stefan nodded. "It's usually pretty crazy here with my family and the Mikaelsons everywhere," he told her.

The woman smirked before extending a hand. "Freya Mikaelson," she said and Stefan shook his head. He should have known.

"So are you the older or younger sibling?" Stefan asked.

Freya smiled. "I'm the oldest but most people say that I look like I'm the same age as Niklaus," she told him.

"You do look _really_ young," Stefan told her.

"Thank you. You're sweet," Freya murmured. "Well, I have to get down the hall and collect my keys before Kol hotwires my jeep, _again_. It was good to meet you…"

"Stefan Salvatore," Stefan said, remembering that he hadn't offered his name and feeling foolish.

"I suppose we'll see each other when we get to the diner," Freya remarked before heading down the hall.

Stefan could not stop smiling on his way out of the inn, all thoughts of painkillers far from his mind, until Damon slammed his hand on his car horn. "Get your ass in this car!" Damon shouted and Stefan sighed heavily. Getting into the car, he found the reason why Damon was in such a foul mood. Katherine sat with a smirk in the back of Damon's car while Elena sat in the passenger seat.

"Where's Care and Hayley?" Stefan asked.

Damon rolled his eyes and started the engine. "They decided to get a ride with the Mikaelsons. Something about more leg room. I think they didn't want to be stuck in the car with _that_." He pointed at Katherine with his thumb. She grinned.

"There were only two options and I don't really know the other people that well. Unlike your sisters. It seems that Caroline was getting to know Klaus Mikaelson _really_ well last night," she said, leaning in between Damon and Elena. "If you get what I mean," she added.

"Katherine, shut up," Elena ordered her sister who fell back into her seat.

"So, Stefan, have you heard from the waitress yet?" Katherine asked, placing a hand on his leg and Stefan moved it back to her own leg while she pouted.

"No. Not really but we just met," Stefan told her while Katherine rolled her eyes.

"Some girls just don't know how to go in for the kill. Like Elena, who I heard was seen asleep on a couch in downstairs with Damon. Oh, how cute! Gag me!" Katherine stuck her finger down her throat.

"With pleasure," Damon snarled.

"Damon!" Elena protested.

"Elena!" Damon snapped back, turning to widen his eyes at her with a smirk.

"Eyes on the road!" Stefan yelled at this brother.

"Jesus!" Damon cried, swerving around a packed SUV. "That was close."

"Maybe I should take the wheel. I know how to drive almost any stick shift," Katherine told them and Damon sneered at her in the rearview mirror while Stefan felt another, longer-lasting headache, coming on.

"Oh, please, just get us there is one piece," Stefan moaned.

Katherine peered at him. "Are you okay, Stefan? Would you like me to massage your temples?" She didn't give him the opportunity to protest before she yanked his head into her lap and began to rub. "How does that feel? _Nice_ , right?"

"It probably feels like a snake slithering over his skin," Damon replied for his brother before braking suddenly, sending Stefan's head into Elena's seat.

"Ouch," Stefan moaned, clutching his head as he got out of the car.

"Oh, Stefan, let me kiss it and make it all better!" Katherine cried when Damon grabbed her and set her down beside her sister, giving Stefan the opportunity to run into the diner. When he entered, he got a sense of déjà vu but he couldn't remember why until a pair of hands closed over his eyes.

"Guess who?" a voice sang in his ear.

"Liv!" Stefan replied with a smile.

Liv grinned when he turned to look down at her. "Twice in one week, I must be a very lucky girl or you're stalking me," she teased with a grin.

"He's _not_ stalking you," Katherine snarled, coming to stand beside Stefan and looping her arm through his.

Stefan's eyes widened when Liv's hardened. "Oh, good, you, _again_ ," she sighed. "Well, you can take a seat… wherever, and I'll get you some menus." Wasting no time, Liv stalked off and Stefan deflated.

"Who is the hot chick?" Damon asked, throwing an arm around Stefan's shoulders and yanking him away from Katherine's grasp.

"She's a waitress. Just in case you didn't notice the, oh, so, obvious, as usual, Damon," Katherine snarked from behind them. "Or did you think that was a Halloween costume? And the only woman you're supposed to be calling hot is 'lena. Or me, because, well, I am."

"Maybe in your dreams," Damon snarled. "Okay. We need to move these tables," he moved to help Kol shove tables together so they were in one, big group.

Stefan found himself sitting across from Freya Mikaelson who smirked back at him. When Katherine plopped down next to him, Stefan wished he could find a hiding place. Damon sat to his right with Elena beside him. Klaus and Rebekah flanked their older sister with Marcel to Rebekah's left. Caroline sat to Klaus' right and Kol came to sit beside Katherine to her left. Hayley and Elijah found seats beside Elena's and Caroline's right sides.

Liv came over with five glasses of water and then paused when she took in the many people sitting at the tables. "I'm going to have to get more of these," she said.

"Take your time!" Katherine called after her.

"Stop being such a bitch," Damon snarled at Katherine.

"Don't call my sister a bitch, Damon!" Elena snapped at him with a frown. "Even if she is one."

Katherine smirked when Liv set a glass of water in front of her. "Sorry, Livie. It looks like this will be one party you won't be crashing," the brunette said as she flung an arm around Stefan.

Liv just rolled her eyes before taking down their orders. "I will have extra bacon with waffles and a cup of coffee with extra creamer," Kol told her.

"Kol, that's not good for your heart," Freya protested.

"Having so many gorgeous ladies around me is not good for my heart either," Kol retorted before turning to smile up at Liv who shook her head at him.

"Scrambled eggs with toast and a glass of O. J.," Klaus ordered.

"Cereal with skim milk, thank you," Freya told Liv.

Caroline skipped ordering yet in favor of talking to Klaus. Damon's hand shot up. "I'll take a blueberry pancakes with whip cream made into a smiley face with a side of bacon and a glass of milk."

"I'll have the same," Elena said with smile at Damon.

Marcel ordered a short stack with sausage, a side of yogurt and a glass of milk. Rebekah ordered the yogurt and fresh fruit with a blueberry muffin. Elijah ordered toast with an order of eggs over easy, hash browns, a side of bacon and a glass of milk while Freya rolled her eyes. Hayley ordered a bowl of fruit with toast, yogurt, bacon and a glass of milk. Caroline finally made up her mind and asked for buttermilk pancakes with a bowl of fruit.

"And what can I get you?" Liv asked Stefan.

Stefan looked down at his menu. "I'll get what Caroline asked for, with bacon, and a cup of black coffee. Thanks." He nodded toward his sister so Liv would know who he meant and then handed over his menu and he tried not to scream when Katherine placed her hand on his knee. Why is it that some people did not get that friends, did not mean friends with benefits?

"Okay," Liv smiled and then walked behind the counter. When she came back out, she had taken off her apron and was headed toward the front door.

"Hey, _where's_ our food?" Katherine yelled at her.

"It's cooking and my shift ended. Have a nice life," Liv called back, waving.

"Wait!" Kol nearly fell on his face running after the waitress who was trying to leave. "Going so soon!" he shouted after her.

Freya grinned, looking at something through the windows. Stefan turned to see Liv walking, toward a car across the parking lot, and Kol chasing her down, his arms waving frantically. They couldn't tell what the two were saying to each other but Liv waved toward the building and Kol kept waving his arms around. After a couple of minutes, Kol and Liv returned. "She decided to have breakfast with us anyway," Kol told them gleefully, pulling out the last seat, to his left while Katherine snorted her derision.

"Figures," Katherine muttered.

"What was _that_?" Liv asked, leaning over Kol who seemed pleased that she was so close to him.

"I said that figures," Katherine snapped while Damon began to grin.

"What is _your_ problem?" Liv asked Katherine. "What? Do you have a problem with people who don't get every damned thing they want in life, princess?"

"You little!" Katherine got up and Liv got up, too.

Damon began to rub his hands together. "My money is on the blonde," he said.

"What is going on here?" a voice cried and Stefan's head whipped upward to see a wary looking brunette with icy blue eyes coming around the counter. "Is there a problem?" she demanded, looking at them all and then she just stood there while Stefan continued to stare at her in shock.

"Mom?" Stefan said quietly.

"Mother!" Damon cried out, looking like someone had punched him.

"Now that is a blast from the past," Katherine said with a grin. "Hey, Mrs. Salvatore. How is life on the run with… what was his name… Julian? Did he bail on you?"

"Shut up, Katherine," Elena snapped at her sister.

"Hey, I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking," Katherine muttered loudly when Stefan jerked her back into her seat.

"I'll go check on your order," Lily said, looking dazed as she went back behind the counter.

"Lily never said she had kids," Liv told them.

Damon's expression closed off. "Maybe that's because she forgot about us when she was so busily taking everything in our father's vault and running off with her boyfriend."

"That's probably it. I know if I had you for a kid, I would have split," Katherine announced, earning a glare from Stefan. "Sorry, but it's true. Damon is not someone that any woman could deal with for too long before up and running."

"Screw you, Katherine!" Damon yelled. Getting to his feet, he walked out of the diner. Stefan got up along with Elena, Caroline and Hayley. The four of them followed Damon out to the parking lot where he kicked a tire rim of his car and screamed in pain. "Damn it!"

"Damon!" Elena yelled, going to grab him before he fell over. Stefan helped Elena so that Damon could sit on the hood of his car.

"What the hell is that?" Damon asked, gesturing to the diner. "We don't see her in forever, and then, poof, there she is, like freakin' Santa Claus, only not as welcome. What next? Hayley's real parents will show up? Caroline's dad will turn out to be straight? Oh, what other kinds of miracles can be bestowed on us?" he asked the sky before letting out a growl. "This is bullshit!" "Damon, don't you at least want to hear her side of things?" Stefan asked his brother who shook his head.

"What side could she have? She abandoned us for some guy, Stef. That's all I need to know." Damon shook his head. "I'm going back to the inn."

"What about your food?" Elena protested. "The smiley face pancakes?"

"Do I look like I'm in the mood for happy-go-lucky food to you, Elena?" Damon snapped harshly. "I'm _going_." He slid off the hood and got into the car.

"I'm coming with you," Elena shouted.

"No, you're _not_ ," Damon shouted back when Elena opened the passenger side door and slid inside the car.

Stefan and Hayley took a step back when Damon gunned the engine and took off. Stefan ran a hand through his hair. Looking back, he found Freya Mikaelson watching him before she flushed and turned back to her sister.

Re-entering the diner, Stefan found that Katherine had taken Elena's old seat and was flirting with Klaus while Caroline glared at her, twirling her un-used fork between her fingers. Liv seemed to be engrossed in a conversation about Voodoo with Kol.

Looking at his plate, Stefan found that his pancakes were smiling back at him. He got to his feet and excused himself before he walked up to the counter. "Excuse me," he called to his mother who turned to him with a shy smile.

"Hello, Stefan, what can I do for you?" Lily asked.

"Could I get the check?" Stefan replied curtly.

Lily's face drained of color. "Right. Yes. Of course," she replied. "Will there be anything else, sir?"

"Yes, could I get a couple of containers and glasses for my brother and his girlfriend, they left early," Stefan told her.

"That was Damon's girlfriend?" Lily asked while ringing up the order. She glanced up at Stefan.

"Yes," Stefan nodded. "Her name is Elena," he added.

"Elena. What a lovely name for a lovely girl. Are they happy?" she asked.

Stefan wanted to tell her to ask Damon herself but he kept his mouth shut. "They are. _Finally_. Damon's had trouble in the past but I think he's trying to be happy now."

"That's very good and the other people, they're your friends?" she asked, glancing at the group.

"Yes and no. The blonde, over there. That's Caroline. Dad married her mom. And the brunette who's laughing, that's Hayley, they adopted her when we were young. They're my sisters," Stefan stated. "They're my _family_."

Lily's jaw set when Stefan took the bill. "Are _you_ happy, Stefan?"

"I try to be," Stefan told her. Walking back to the table, he sat down and ate, trying to concentrate on the conversations and the fact that Liv offered him and anyone else who needed one, a ride back to the inn. Scratching out his cell number and the name and address of the inn, Stefan pulled out a hundred dollar bill and placed it under a plate before heading up to pay. "Here," he said to Lily. She looked at the back of the bill and read it before looking at him with a smile as he paid. "It was good to see you, mom."

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.** **J**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, my lovely readers. There are only four more chapters of this tale, after this one, of course. On with the show…**

Chapter 12: As Good as It Gets

Lying in bed with Elijah Mikaelson, Hayley had to admit that this was not a bad way to spend an afternoon. But there were many other things she needed to do: like checking up on Damon to make sure he hadn't done something destructive to himself or others. To check in on Stefan, to see how he was coping with his mother's sudden appearance. And, finally, to see if Caroline had gotten around to letting Klaus take her out on a real date. He seemed okay and why not have a little fun before they headed home?

Hayley rolled over to see that Elijah had fallen asleep. She grabbed her dress from the floor and pulled it back on along with her underwear which were lying on top of the lamp, for some reason. Tip-toeing to the door, she slid it open and then slunk out into the hallway. "Doing the walk of shame?" Katherine Gilbert asked her with a smirk.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Katherine. Except I don't really care what people think at this point," she moved to walk around the shorter girl when Katherine dodged into her path. "Okay. Whatever your problem is today, please, tell someone who cares."

"I never liked you," Katherine replied with a smirk before she raised a bottle of tequila to her lips and took a sip.

"Right. Now, I'm _definitely_ out of here," Hayley pushed past Katherine when Katherine grabbed her arm.

"Your whole so-called family is a disaster. You do know that, _right_? You, Damon. Stefan. Caroline. The whole Salvatore clan. You found a guy who didn't mistake you for a guy. Damon thinks he found love with my sister because she's just my cheap knock-off. Stefan sniffing around that waitress. Caroline acting like she didn't drop her pants for every other guy our freshman year of high school before Tyler came along and showed her his love. You're all _pathetic_ ," Katherine spat out in a drunken haze. "And now Mama Salvatore's back. Soon she's going back home, and you, Care and her mom will all be out of the street. Such a fitting end to a _sickening_ fairy tale."

"Go fuck yourself," Hayley snarled before turning around and hurrying to Damon's door. She knocked but no one answered. Looking back at a smirking Katherine, she knocked again until Stefan answered. "Move," she ordered her younger brother.

"What's up?" Stefan asked, looking surprised to see Hayley who began to pace the floor, clenching her fists. "Are you okay?"

"Do I _look_ okay to you?" Hayley snapped, whirling on her little brother who held up his hands. "Katherine Gilbert is a _freakin'_ nightmare!" she spat out.

"Huh. That explains it," Stefan nodded before sitting down on his bed. "You haven't seen Damon, have you?" he asked. "I was about to go look for him."

"That's why I came here, and, FYI, Katherine is lurking in the hallway," Hayley warned Stefan.

Stefan nodded and then stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Hayley heard him talking to Katherine and then the sweet sound of silence. Seconds later, Kol Mikaelson popped his head into the room. "Wrong room," he muttered.

"What do want, Kol?" Hayley asked warily.

"Looking for the male members of your family for a rousing game of volleyball. _Interested_?" Kol inquired.

"Can we use Katherine's head as the ball?" Hayley asked with an insincere smile.

Kol grinned. "If we could get it off her shoulders," he replied.

Groaning, Hayley got to her feet and trudged after Kol. Outside Matt and Bonnie stood, they looked at Hayley. "So glad you're _not_ Damon," Bonnie told her.

"So glad I'm not Damon, _too_ ," Hayley told the shorter girl who laughed.

They headed downstairs with Kol leading them. Klaus stood on the porch looking bored. "Come, brother, we must play a game," Kol coaxed Klaus.

"Not now, brother," Klaus snapped and Kol smirked at him.

"Don't be like Lijah. Be my fun older brother," Kol cried, grabbing Klaus by the arm and wrestling him down the stairs.

"Where are you guys going?" Caroline called, coming up from the beach in a bikini with a pair of impossibly short shorts on.

"To play volleyball. Nik wants you to come with us so we can watch you frolic about," Kol told her when Klaus groaned.

Caroline placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I do like to frolic," she said and Klaus' eyes lit up. "So, I guess I could join you since I can't find Damon."

"You were looking for him, too?" Hayley asked her sister.

"Yeah. Were you?" Caroline asked with a frown. "I hope he didn't run his car up a tree or something Damon-like."

"I'm sure that Damon is fine, loves. Let's go," Klaus reassured them, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders and leading them across the sandy beach.

When they got to the net, they saw Liv standing with a volleyball in hand. "Hey, look who's found some friends," she cried, grinning at Kol.

"Yes, I did," Kol called back.

"We need one more person," Liv told them.

"Or someone could sit out to play referee," Kol suggested. "I nominate Bonnie," he cried.

Bonnie shook her head. "No way. I'm playing."

"Fine. Then who will sit this one out?" Kol asked them.

"I can do that," Elijah called to them as he came strolling across the sand.

"Oh, _no_ , you don't," Hayley retorted, walking over and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Well, _who_ then?" Kol yelled, becoming frustrated.

"How about the she-devil?" Damon asked them, hooking a thumb at Katherine as he approached with Elena, Stefan and Freya. "I planned to envision mommy dearest's head when I am scoring a point but that one is working my last nerve."

"Good to know that I'm appreciated for my _many_ talents," Katherine replied with a smirk.

"Screw you," Damon snapped.

Katherine placed her hand on her hip. "Don't you ever get tired of using the same insult, time and time again?"

"Not when it works so well," Damon muttered, coming to stand beside Hayley. "Hey, sis, what's up?"

"We're glad you're back," Hayley told him.

Damon looked shocked. "Bet you never thought you'd say that."

"Better you thought I'd never hear it," Hayley quipped.

Damon grinned. "Whose team am I on?"

"Team captain!" Kol shouted to them. "I want all the athletes." Rubbing his hands together, he looked around. "I call Hayley."

"Team Captain," Freya cried. "I call Stefan." Hayley noticed the pleased expression on Stefan's face.

"Elijah," Kol called. "Although he does lay about reading books too often. Never mind. Give me someone else."

"No. You already picked," Freya yelled. "I want Matt Donavon."

"Fine. I want the other lady Salvatore." Kol stuck out his tongue at his sister.

Freya shrugged. "Klaus, you're fast. You're on my team." Klaus looked disappointed that he wasn't on the same team as Caroline.

Kol, choose the next person. "Damon looks like he might be useful."

"Thanks for that," Damon said sarcastically.

Freya looked at the remaining women. "I think I would like Bonnie to be on my team."

"I choose Liv!" Kol cried, holding out his arms to the girl who glared at him.

"Like I want to hug you when you pick me last," Liv grumbled, moving to stand beside Caroline.

"Elena, I guess, you're on my team," Freya told the twin who looked unhappy about being picked last.

"Go, losers!" Katherine cheered.

Kol served the ball first, and Freya hit it, sending it flying back to their team. Hayley returned, sinking to her knees in the sand to watch Klaus slam it back over the net. He was fast. Caroline head butted the ball back over the net and Bonnie's hand slapped the ball back to them where Damon slammed his clasped hands into the ball, sending it flying past Team Freya's heads.

"Man, you really are pissed. Great job!" Kol crowed. "Point for my team."

"Not for long," Freya yelled, pulling her tank top off and Stefan's eyes became glued to her sports bra while Freya sent the ball flying their way.

Kol returned the ball and Bonnie knocked it back with a force that sent her falling into the sand. "That looked painful!" Katherine called with a laugh.

"Screw you, Kat!" Bonnie shouted, spitting out sand.

Matt kicked the ball from his knee to his raised fist and then slapped it back over the net to Team Freya. "Get it!" Freya yelled and Stefan took his eyes off her to get knocked to the ground when the ball smacked him in the side of the head.

Liv met the ball when it came over the net, slamming an open palm on it, sending it flying back to Team Freya. "Take that for picking me _last_!" she shouted to Kol.

Kol started laughing so hard he fell over while Freya ran over to check on her injured teammate. "Are you alright?" Freya asked Stefan, who looked dazed, while Elena bounced the ball from one hand to the other.

"I'm good," Stefan told Freya. She got to her feet and ran over to her team. "He's fine. Elena, serve the ball."

Elena looked at Damon and then threw the ball. Damon easily sent it back to them and smacked Stefan, again. "Oops!" Damon looked guilty since Stefan stopped moving.

"I think you killed your brother, mate," Kol told Damon, clapping him on the shoulder. "Would you like one of mine?"

Caroline and Hayley ran over to Stefan's side where he lay with a dazed look. "Stef, are you _okay_?" Caroline cried, kneeling beside him.

Stefan didn't respond and Hayley turned to shoot Damon a look but he had disappeared. Groaning, she got to her feet. "I'll be back," she told Caroline. Caroline nodded, stroking Stefan's hair while Freya came to sit on the other side of him. It looked like Stefan had plenty of people to look after him while Elena stood on the sidelines, arguing with Katherine.

Trudging past the net, Hayley kept walking until she caught sight of Damon throwing pebbles into the ocean. "They don't skip well," Damon called to her, without looking up.

Hayley came to stand beside him. "You want to talk about it?" she asked.

Damon shook his head and handed her a handful of pebbles. They stood, throwing the tiny stones into the water, watching them be lapped up. After awhile, Damon broke the silence. "I thought I'd never see her again."

"I know," Hayley could not remember Damon talking about his mother more than once when they got drunk on some friend of the family's vodka and then he would only say that he and Stefan were better off without her.

"She's _such_ a bitch," Damon muttered, unhappily, kicking the sand beneath his bare feet. Hayley watched Damon's face contort. "Damn her!" he shouted.

"You know, I didn't know my parents. I don't know if they were nice of cruel. Maybe they dumped me because they didn't want to raise a kid. Maybe they… I don't know what. But if they came here, today, I would talk to them just to ask them why they left me," Hayley said. "You're probably not going to like the answers but she's still your mom. And this might be your last opportunity to talk to her."

Damon shook his head. "I _don't_ need to know about why she left her kids for some guy she barely knew."

"Damon," Hayley reached out and placed a hand no his shoulder. "Stop being such a pig-headed, pain in the ass."

Chuckling, Damon reached out and jerked her into a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys." Hayley thought about where she might be if she didn't have her siblings. Yeah, they bickered, yelled at each other, plotted against one another but they loved each other like no other person they'd met.

"We wouldn't know what to do without you," Hayley told Damon sincerely.

"Sure you do. You'd live happily ever after," Damon teased as they started to walk back to the group.

"Nope. Not even," Hayley shook her head.

"How are things with you and Elijah going?" Damon inquired. "Should I be anticipating wedding bells in the near future?"

"Ha ha," Hayley grimaced. "This is a summer romance. Nothing to get your hopes up about, thinking you can hand me off to some other guy, in some archaic ritual."

" _Archaic_?" Damon laughed. "Such _big_ words."

"Jerk!" Hayley shoved him before looking over to see that Stefan had made a full recovery.

"Salvatore is out. Gilbert is _in_ ," Kol announced. Hayley's eyes narrowed when Katherine grinned at her, hefting the volleyball. "Time for the games to continue!"

Katherine sent the ball flying Hayley's way with a little too much force but Damon sent it flying back and Katherine had to dodge out of the way before she got knocked out like Stefan. "Score!" Kol shouted.

"That should be a penalty. He was trying to injure another one of my players," Freya protested.

"I'm _fine_!" Stefan called to her. Freya rolled her eyes and threw the ball back and Kol hit it, sending it toward Bonnie, who kicked it toward Klaus, who knocked it back over the net. Caroline batted it back to him with a grin. "Come on, Mikaelson, you can do better than that!" she taunted Klaus with a smile.

"Yes, I bloody well can!" Klaus shouted, sending the ball flying back to them, scoring a point when Elijah missed it.

"Damn it. I knew I should have chosen Nik!" Kol complained, taking the ball and throwing it at Freya.

Freya's jaw set when she knocked the ball back over to them and Elijah slammed his head into it. Hayley winced at the impact when Elijah took a step forward, and then dropped, face first, into the sand. "Elijah!" Hayley shouted, racing over to his side.

Elijah looked dazed. "Did I make a point?" he asked her with a hopeful look."

"No. Sorry, you didn't," Hayley told him, looking around. "It hit the net." She stroked his face while he looked dazed.

"Did we _win_ yet?" Kol shouted, looking unperturbed about how his brother felt.

"No!" Freya snapped before knocking the ball into her younger brother's head. "Oops!" she cried but Hayley caught the smile that crossed the older girl's face before she covered her mouth with her hand.

"That point does _not_ count because we're down a member!" Hayley shouted at Freya. "Hey, Stefan, you ready to jump back in here and help Team Salvatore?" she yelled, placing her hands on her hips.

"It's Team _Kol's_ _Idiots_!" Kol screamed at Hayley who lifted her middle finger in his direction.

"You want to win or not!" Hayley yelled at Kol who shrugged.

"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game!" Matt told them loudly. This earned him getting smacked in the head with the volleyball from Kol. "Ow! That _hurt_!"

"It was _meant_ to hurt, mate!" Kol shouted. "Now! Toss it back, wanker!"

Katherine took the ball and smacked it over the net. Stefan sent it flying back much to everyone's surprise. Soon they could only stand aside and watch as Stefan and Katherine sent the ball flying, to and fro between them. It seemed like they were in a battle over this game and Hayley took the time to make sure that Elijah was still okay.

"I'm good," Elijah said, taking the icepack that someone had run off and brought him. It's not nearly as bad as it looks." Hayley grimaced at the black and blue mark that had begun to form on her boyfriend's forehead. Leaning over, she kissed it gently before taking a seat next to him. "Doesn't your team need you?" Elijah questioned her.

"Nah. I think Stef's got it covered," she said, glancing over at Stefan sending the ball back to Katherine who blew out a breath when she fell into the sand after lunging forward to knock the ball back to Stefan. Finally, Freya rejoined the battle and sent the ball Stefan's way. Soon Katherine was left to watch while Stefan and Freya began to fight for the final points of the game.

"I'm going swimming!" Caroline announced. "Last one in has to carry me back to the house!" Klaus watched the others run into the water.

"You going in, love!" Klaus shouted to Hayley who shook her head and watched him run after her sister.

"You're brother _has_ it bad for my little sis," Hayley told Elijah who grinned before kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Perhaps we might see each other again after we leave. Winter break does not seem too long a time to wait." Elijah sighed, pressing his hand to her back and rubbing her bare skin.

"And we can write e-mails and call each other," Hayley replied, looking at Elijah. He nodded, looking at the water lapping in and receding outward. She took his hand, squeezing it. Her heart hurt knowing that soon their summer adventure would be over. It seemed to have just started.

"I think I will write you long, _soppy_ letters that I will have to hide from my siblings to prevent them from hounding me till Christmas," Elijah murmured. Turning to Hayley, he brushed a long lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her again. "Shall we retire from this madness?" he inquired, glancing at the volleyball game.

"Where do you two think you're going? The game is _not_ finished yet!" Kol shouted at them.

"It is for _us_ ," Elijah replied, waving good-bye to their frustrated captain.

"Ugh! Salvatore, you had _better_ win this game!" Kol ordered Stefan.

"Whatever, Kol!" Freya shouted back, still concentrating on Stefan. "I'm going to win and you're going home to tell father you were beaten by a girl!"

"Not on your life!" Kol could be heard yelling.

Elijah and Hayley linked hands, walking along the beach. She looked over to see Klaus tossing Caroline over his shoulder while Damon chased Elena through the waves. She felt pleased that her siblings were happy, for once. Maybe this vacation was what they had all needed. Stepping onto the porch, Hayley walked in ahead of Elijah and moved to head up the stairs when someone cleared their throat. "Hello?" a man called, coming out from the office. "Who might you be?" he asked them.

"Oh, we're staying here. Who are you?" Elijah asked.

"Jim O' Neil. My aunt ran this place." Jim held out his hand to Elijah. "We're planning on putting it up for sale by the end of the week, so I hope my aunt didn't charge you to stay for a longer period."

"You're _selling_?" Hayley paled, looking back at Elijah.

"Yeah. Is that a problem?" Jim asked.

"Well, this place has a certain sentimental value," Elijah explained.

"We fell in love here," Hayley blurted and then blushed, looking up at Elijah.

"We _did_ ," Elijah replied, sliding his arms around Hayley who smiled brightly. "So, are you sure you have to sell right now?"

"Yeah. We can't afford to keep it open," Jim told them.

"Oh," Hayley and Elijah held each other tighter, thinking that their sweet, summer days were closer to an end than they had expected.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is Caroline's chapter which borders on an M-rating. You've been warned. On with the show…**

Chapter 13: Grease

Caroline could not believe her ears, the day after Hayley announced that their little home away from home, was about to be closed. "No," she said, shaking her head. "No. There's got to be _something_ that we can do. We _can't_ let Mr. O'Neil shut this place down. It looks like a one star, or a fourth of star place, but once you get past the chipped paint, leaky ceiling, cold water, no breakfast or maid service or – "

"Caroline!" her siblings shouted at her, causing her to frown.

"My point is: we can't let them shut this place down. We've all found happiness here. Even _Damon_."

"'Even Damon?'" Damon's eyes narrowed. " _What_ is that supposed to mean?" he demanded while Stefan moved a little closer to his brother and Hayley scooted in front of Caroline, in case Damon tried to jump on her.

"It means that: if you can find happiness, then there's hope for _anyone_ here." Caroline smiled brightly while Damon stared at her for a moment before relenting.

"That's true. I suppose," Damon mused, leaning against the wall of the girls' room. "I guess that we could try to get Mr. O'Neil to change his mind. But how? We don't have any fresh, young virgins to sacrifice. Ouch!" he groaned when Stefan smacked him on the arm.

"I think what Damon is trying to say is, that we don't have anything to offer Mr. O'Neil to keep this place open," Stefan explained while Damon sneered at him.

"Well…" Caroline's brow furrowed and then she got an idea. "What if we held a car wash?" she asked them with a chipper smile.

"This _isn't_ high school, you twit," Damon snapped, glowering at Caroline.

Caroline gritted her teeth and glared at her oldest brother. "Oh, _really_ , you got a _better_ idea?" she snapped.

Damon smirked. "Yeah. One that might get us some _actual_ cash."

"Really? And what is _that_? Because it better _not_ involve selling one of us," Hayley pointed between herself and Caroline.

"Close, but no cigar," Damon retorted. "We have a beach party and charge admission. Drinks will be five dollars a pop and the proceeds will all go to saving this heap of a hellhole."

"What will we do for entertainment? And food?" Caroline inquired, folding her arms over her chest. "There's _no_ place to cook here. And where will we store the booze? Did you even bother to think this through at all?"

"Details!" Damon scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Okay. _Fine_. Say that you're party goes over well and you make the money to save this place, good for you, Damon. But if I win, you get to do the laundry when we get home for a week."

"And the dishes," Hayley added.

"You're on. If Stef and I win, you get to clean our rooms, including the bathrooms," Damon said with a smirk.

"When did I get pulled into this?" Stefan demanded, looking from one of his family members to the other.

"Since you're male!" Caroline snapped. "As usual, it looks like this is going to be a female versus male competition. Let the best _woman_ win!" Getting to her feet, she offered her hand to Damon who extended his.

"Game on, sister," Damon said, shaking Caroline's hand.

"Hayley, let's go. We have a car wash to get started." Caroline walked out of the room and then remembered something. "Wait. Nope. Damon. Stefan. Get out of our room!" she demanded, hand on her hip while her brothers exited the room. Closing the door and locking it, she turned to Hayley. "It can't be a _sexy_ car wash if we're not dressed the part."

"Sexy car wash?" Hayley looked nervous when Caroline began to search through her drawers for a bikini.

"Yup," Caroline hummed to herself before finding a tiny, black bikini. "Do you own one of these?" she asked her sister who blushed. Running over, she began to search through Hayley's things until she found a red bikini which wasn't as small as hers but it would do. "Okay. You've got shorts, right?" she asked. Hayley began to chew her lower lip while Caroline found a pair of shorts.

"Scissors," Caroline cried, looking through the nightstand before she pulled out a pair and then cut two inches off the shorts, making Hayley gasp. "Come on. Don't be such a wuss and put these on," she tossed the bikini and the shorts at her sister.

"Caroline, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Hayley inquired weakly while pulling her clothes off.

"I used to organize every fundraising event Mystic High had and you _dare_ to question my abilities?" Caroline tsked while standing with her back to Hayley while they changed. "You ready?" she asked, turning around to see her sister had dressed but looked slightly pale. "Hayley, just because the only man who has ever seen you naked does not mean you get to chicken out. Do you want to have to clean Damon's bathroom?"

"NO!" Hayley shook her head.

"Good. Let's _go_!" Caroline cheered, opening the door and walking out and into the hallway. They were on their way down the hall when Klaus appeared.

"Hello, Caroline. Damon just told me that you're trying to keep this place alive by using your feminine wiles against unsuspecting men with cars and cash." Klaus seemed to be amused by the idea.

"Yes. And I suppose you're going to help him with his party, since it's a girls versus boys thing," Caroline retorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"On the contrary, love, I intend on helping your lot, if you'll have me?" Caroline could only stare up at Klaus, waiting for him to laugh and then go off to find her brother. When he didn't, she sucked in a deep breath.

"We would be _happy_ to have you, Klaus," Hayley answered for Caroline. Caroline grinned when she added. "And you had better find something sexy to wear."

Klaus' eyebrows rose before he stripped off his shirt. Caroline's eyes widened as she looked him over. He looked great and had some _very_ interesting tattoos that she could see herself tracing the outlines of into the early morning hours. Shaking her head, she re-focused when she realized that he had spoken. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"Is this good enough?" Klaus inquired with a smirk.

"Yes. Very, _very_ good. Great, actually. Maybe you'll attract some ladies with money." Caroline did not like that last thought but whatever it would take to win this bet would make her happy. Rebekah and Freya Mikaelson entered the hallway, attracting Caroline's attention. "Hey!" she cried, focusing on the female members of the family.

"Before you ask, I've already pled my allegiance to Damon's party because Kol wants to join your car wash and he has been _insufferable_ since winning the volleyball game last night," Freya told them, folding her arms over her chest.

"I am the _winner_ , you are the _losers_!" Kol sang, pointing at Freya who glared at him.

"Okay," Caroline looked at Kol. "Welcome to the Car Wash Team. Who else is joining us?"

"My new bird," Kol said, waving at Liv who came down the hall in a bikini that barely covered anything.

"Whoa!" Hayley poked Caroline in the side. "Now that girl is going to get us money."

"How very _sexist_ of you," Liv quipped, glaring at Hayley.

Elena, Katherine, Bonnie and Lexi appeared. "Hey, guys," Elena called when Damon came running up the stairs. "Elena, my love, come with me," he said, jerking Elena back down the stairs.

"That's _not_ fair!" Caroline cried, watching them go.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"They're planning on closing this place down, unless we make enough money to keep it open, so I'm going to hold a car wash, like we did in high school. Fun? _Right_?" Caroline asked her friends with a wide smile.

Bonnie exchanged a look with Lexi. "Umm…" they murmured.

"Come on, guys. It's going to be _fun_!" Caroline yelled at them. "Don't tell me you'd rather help Damon with his whole charging people for beer and who knows what for food and entertainment?" She could not believe that her two long-time friends looked like they were considering the idea. "Traitors!" she yelled at them when they ran down the stairs. "Now how am I going to get more people?"

"I'll help you. Stefan's on your team, _right_?" Katherine asked with a wide grin.

"No," Hayley told her.

"Screw that," Katherine took off down the stairs.

"Seriously?" Caroline threw up her arms. "Damon has two more people than I do. How am I going to make up the numbers?" she asked them.

"Hold that thought," Klaus held up a finger and then walked down the hall, knocking on Elijah's door. Elijah's head popped out and they conferred for several minutes before Elijah came out without a shirt on. Now Caroline knew why Hayley liked him so much.

Thinking about it, Caroline looked at Rebekah. She had forgotten the Mikaelson sister. Her expression read boredom when Marcel came up the stairs. "Hey, newlyweds, would you like to help with a little car wash action. You're both hot, so this might actually work."

Marcel laughed and Rebekah's eyebrows rose. "Well, if we're being complimented," Rebekah shrugged. "Let me go undress and we'll be with you soon." She yanked her husband into a room.

"Don't fornicate in _my_ bed!" Klaus warned the closed door before following Caroline down the stairs.

"Where shall we be holding this event?" Kol inquired.

"How about the parking lot of the diner?" Liv offered. "It's not like there are a ton of cars that come in at this time of day and maybe some people will decide to stay and eat. My co-workers need the extra tips."

"Good idea," Caroline enthused. They all piled into Klaus' and Marcel's cars. Caroline got to ride with Klaus. She kept looking at him and trying not to. She could tell he knew she was looking because of the smirk on his face. When he parked the car, she jumped out first. She would need to go inside and ask permission from the manager to use their parking lot and it was a good excuse to get a breather from Klaus.

"What's up with you two?" Hayley teased, coming up and throwing an arm around Caroline's shoulders.

"Nothing," Caroline tried when her sister gave her a long look.

" _Sure_. And there was nothing between me and Elijah until there was. Come on, sis, fess up, you like Klaus. Admit it!"

"I admit _nothing_ ," Caroline said stubbornly, entering the diner and feeling happy that Damon's and Stefan's so-called mother was nowhere to be seen. She approached the manager. The eighteen-year-old male stood no chance against her charms and soon he made a sign, placing it in the window, earning him a kiss on the cheek from Caroline.

Caroline exited the diner with Hayley right behind her and they went over with a large piece of poster board that they took out of the back of the car. "Car wash!" Caroline shouted, going to stand by the street, shaking her hips and earning honks from guys driving by.

"Come this _way_!" Hayley shouted, waving them toward the parking lot. Soon they had a large amount of cars waiting to be scrubbed down and Caroline's attention moved to Klaus who was bent over, washing a petite, blonde's car. She walked over and started talking to Klaus, revealing her bra in a tiny tank top.

"Excuse me, Hales, I have to go make it clear that this is a car wash and we're not here to scrub down random _sluts_." Shoving her sign at Marcel, Caroline kept walking. Stopping in front of the blonde, she crossed her arms over her chest while Klaus stood, wringing a sponge out. "Is there a problem?" Caroline demanded of the girl.

"No," the girl said with a giggle. "Niklaus was just about to give me his phone number," she informed Caroline.

"Oh, _really_?" Caroline leaned her hip against the car's fender.

"Hey, he _just_ washed that," the girl complained, waving at the smudge that Caroline left on the car.

"Oh, _really_? Sorry about that," Caroline shook her head in mock apologetic form. Picking up the bucket, she poured it over the girl's head who shrieked in shock. "All _better_?" Caroline inquired in a mocking tone.

"You little –" the girl reached for Caroline when Elijah stepped between them.

"We are _terribly_ sorry. May I fix this for you?" he asked her and she growled before holding out her hand.

"Give me my money back!" she yelled. Elijah handed her a ten dollar bill and she got into her car and drove away.

"You win some, you lose some," Caroline shrugged before turning to find that Klaus had begun to walk away. "Hey, Klaus, _where_ are you going?" she shouted when she saw him get into his own car. "Klaus!"

Getting into Klaus' car, Caroline could only stare at him while he tapped his fingers on the dashboard with a look of irritation. "Caroline, I do _not_ understand you, love. One minute, you seem to not be able to get away from me fast enough, then you are tossing dirty water on girls who are flirting with me? Tell me, what is it that you want?"

"I want _you_ ," Caroline answered him, watching his eyes widen when she suddenly moved forward, grabbing his face, between her hands and kissing him. Soon she had moved so that she was straddling him. She did not want to stop kissing him as he placed his hands on her hips and ground against her, growling when she pressed closer to him.

"I want you, too," Klaus whispered when she pulled away. "But we should choose a more private setting for the things I plan to do to you," he told her, kissing her shoulder and making her laugh.

"Okay. But I'm not sure I can wait," Caroline said, grinning down at Klaus while he played with the string to her bikini top. He slid a hand inside her shorts and she cried out, pressing her mouth back to his while he slid his hand up and down, making her moan into his mouth. "Oh, Klaus," she sighed when he stopped.

"That is a preview," Klaus told her, looking around and sliding his hands into her top, massaging her flesh and making her cry out while she slid her hand into his shorts, making him grit his teeth. "Oh, love, you can't do that unless you want us to become quite the spectacle."

"I don't care," Caroline murmured while he placed his hand around her wrist and pulled her hand away from him.

"Be patient, love. We'll get through the day," Klaus said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before getting back out of the car. Somehow she knew she wouldn't be cleaning her brothers' bathrooms if she had been able to finish what she and Klaus had just started.

"What were you two up to?" Rebekah inquired when Caroline grabbed a sponge and began to clean a car.

"Nothing," Caroline replied as innocently as she could manage.

Rebekah snorted. "Yes. And I am the queen of England. Were you just shagging my brother? You know that Marcel and I _are_ the newlyweds that should be having inappropriately public relations, yes?" she snapped, her gaze moving toward her husband who grinned at a passerby. "Speaking of," she threw the sponge down. "Marcel, I forgot something in your car, be a dear and help me find it?" she shouted, sashaying over to his car.

Caroline envied the young couple because Marcel's car had tinted windows. Rolling her eyes, she looked over at Klaus. He grinned back at her in a way that made her feel the heat. Shaking her head, she turned her back to him. He could deal since he wanted to wait until tonight. "Hey, you want some help with that?" Hayley asked, coming over to join Caroline. Liv and Kol were now helping them get more cars in the lot. Kol stood, shaking his ass at passersby and now they had more females coming through and a few males.

"I'm good. But you want to help your boyfriend," Caroline pointed at Elijah and a couple of overly-friendly high school girls with their mitts all over her sister's man.

"Oh, hell no!" Hayley threw her sponge down and went to rescue Elijah whose face was turning red.

"I think it's time for a break," Caroline called to Liv and Kol. "You guys want a break?" she yelled at them.

"She might. I'm having too much fun!" Kol shouted, waving his sign about.

Liv came over to stand with Caroline. "I'm good if you wanted to go in and get a drink or something."

Caroline nodded and headed into the diner. She walked back into the bathroom to check out her makeup which had stayed in place, more or less. Tugging her hair loose, she moved to put it back up in a ponytail when someone came in. "You do know this is the ladies' room, right?" she inquired, placing her hand on her hip and turning to give Klaus a challenging look.

Klaus grinned and flipped the lock before striding over to her and lifting her onto the counter. "Ready for another sneak peek of tonight's events?" he asked her, not bothering to wait for her answer before he pulled the string to her top, watching it drop downward and then tugging her shorts off.

"Klaus," Caroline cried when he sunk to his knees, untying the string to her bikini bottom.

"Shush, love, someone might hear you and you know that this bathroom is not out-of-order," he warned her.

Nodding, Caroline bit down hard on her lower lip when she felt began his second preview of the coming attractions. She ran her hand through his hair while he slid his hand up to her chest and she leaned backwards, feeling the coolness of the mirror behind her.

It did not seem like that long before they were sneaking back out and Klaus took her hand on their way back to his car. He kissed the back of her hand as they looked at each other, not being able to stop smiling. "Hey, we made like five thousand dollars," Hayley announced on their way back. She and Elijah had been adding up their totals with fists full of cash after five hours work. "This could become a career," she enthused.

"Not gonna happen," Caroline sighed, running a hand through her hair and looking at Klaus with a pleased smile. He glanced at her with the same, dopey look. "There is _no_ way that Damon is going to beat us," she said, shaking her head with a laugh.

When they arrived back at the inn, Klaus came around the car and helped Caroline out. She grinned, taking his hand and leaned up to kiss him when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "What is _that_?" she snarled.

The group walked toward the inn where there was a gigantic banner. "Summer Blow-Out Party!" she read. " _Damon_ ," she growled.

Walking around the inn, Caroline felt her throat dry up when she saw that Damon had the makings of a bonfire, hotdogs, a barbeque grill from who knew where, somehow, there was a freakin' stage and a bunch of coolers, sitting by a long table. "Hey, Care, ready to face your _epic_ loss?" Damon inquired before Caroline shrieked in irritation and raced toward him, intent on killing him.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to reviews:**

 **Guest: We shall see…**

 **Foreverstefan: Ages everyone: Damon and Hayley are about 22.**

 **Stefan and Caroline are 20 as well as their friends, Elena, Bonnie, Matt, etc.**

 **Freya is 26. Elijah is 25. Klaus is 23. Kol is 21. Rebekah is 18 and Marcel is 20.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, my lovely readers. And it is the final three chapters. Enjoy! On with the show…**

Chapter 14: Ten Things I Hate About You

This party would be one they would all remember for the rest of their lives. Damon felt proud of himself. He had gotten someone to donate their outdoor grill for this party. He had called up his roommate from college to help be part of the entertainment. Stefan and Freya had gone on a beer run, and there seemed to be something developing there because when they came back, they were smiling a little too much. He and Elena were having a great time coming up with how to make this the best summer blow-out party ever.

"Lights. We need _lights_ ," Elena exclaimed.

"We'll have the bonfire and the stars," Damon told her, reaching out, pulling her to him before planting a kiss on her lips. Man, did he live for this girl. He could not wait until they got to be alone together. Kissing her again, he smiled when she blushed.

Seeing his sisters and their respective mates, he waved to Caroline, enjoying the look of fury on her face. She was about to lose in the most epic manner possible and he intended to remind her _every_ time he got the chance. "Hey, Care, ready to face your epic lose?" he teased when she launched herself at him.

Klaus caught her around the waist, holding her to him and whispering something in her ear. "Damon, you should be _nicer_ to your sister," Elena said and Damon rolled his eyes.

"I will be when you are to yours," Damon retorted. They turned to see Kat flirting with Damon's roommate, Enzo, who was tuning his guitar on the stage. "My God, is there anyone she would not do?" he asked, glancing at Elena who looked embarrassed.

"No," Bonnie Bennett remarked. "But that is the pot calling the kettle black, now isn't it, Damon?" she challenged him, her jaw jutting out.

Damon smirked down at his ex. "You know, Bon Bon, let's let bygones be bygones, just one night, what do ya say?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I guess I can survive one night being civil with you. For Elena's sake."

"For Elena's sake," Damon repeated. " _Good_. Now, I just have one eensy, weensy favor to ask of you," he held up his hands in prayer mode.

"What do you want, Damon?" Bonnie asked warily, folding her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes.

"I want you to perform with my friend, Enzo," Damon nodded in Enzo's direction. "I heard you singing in the shower for the millisecond that we were a thing and you're good," he said when Elena elbowed him. "Great. You are _splendid_!" he said, widening his eyes and grinning.

Shaking her head, Bonnie pressed her lips together. "Okay. One song," she snapped, holding up a finger.

"Or _two_?" Elena added with a hopeful smile.

" _Three_ at max. And only if the crowd says pretty please," Damon offered with a huge smile.

Bonnie let out a laugh. "You're _both_ insane," she told them before walking off.

Damon grinned, turning to Elena. "This is awesome," he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hey, where did you want the cups?" Stefan called, attracting Damon's attention. "Duty calls. Miss me while I'm gone?"

"Always," Elena told him, leaning forward on tippy toe to kiss him before he went off to deal with his brother.

Stopping in front of Stefan, Damon grinned. "What's up with you and the female Mikaelson?" he inquired, taking a sleeve of cups from Stefan.

" _Rebekah_? She married Marcel," Stefan said, absently on their way over to the table.

"Uh-uh, brother, you know which one I'm talking about. Taller, darker hair, smaller on the bust size, but whose complaining when she's got legs that long," Damon commented and Stefan gave him a long look. "Hey. Hey, stop with the judgy look. I'm with Lena now. I'm _not_ after your new girl. I promise, I will _never_ do that to you again. I just want to know what it is about the Mikaelsons? First Hayley. Then Caroline. Now you. Do they have magic powers?"

"Damon, I _just_ met Freya," Stefan exclaimed with a laugh.

"Yeah. And Hayley met Elijah and two seconds later, there goes that chastity belt we paid so handsomely for. Wonder if we can get a refund?" Damon shook his head, smiling the whole time.

Stefan shook his head, setting down the cups. "Freya and I are becoming… friends. She's a _nice_ person, Damon. You know, some people can be friends with the opposite sex, without it becoming a thing."

"Right. Keep telling yourself that," Damon said, clapping Stefan on the shoulder when Freya came over.

"Can I help with anything?" Freya inquired.

"Yes. You and Stef can man the drinks table. Charge them five dollars per cup and two bucks for a hot dog and four for a burger. Cheese costs extra," Damon ordered them.

Stefan frowned. "Isn't that a bit much for the drinks?" he asked.

Damon rolled his eyes. "This is about saving this heap of wood," he gestured at the inn. "We're _not_ running a charity. Besides, we have to _beat_ Caroline."

"Fine." Stefan sighed, taking a seat behind the table. Freya sat beside him and Damon rubbed his hands together. People should be arriving at any moment after he and Elena had driven up and down the road, placing flyers on posts and telling random college kids they ran into about the party.

Minutes later, as the sun began to set, the first group arrived. They didn't complain about the price of the beer and went over to get hotdogs while Lexi manned the grill. Damon walked over to the bonfire and pulled out his lighter, setting a piece of driftwood ablaze and tossing it on top. Soon the bonfire began to burn brightly. Walking over to the stage, Damon watched Bonnie walk around nervously. "You ready to sing your little heart out?" he asked her.

" _No_. I think I'm going to be sick," Bonnie moaned, looking pale.

"Hey, love, it's not so bad. Come on," Enzo waved for her to come sit beside him on the edge of the stage. She sat down and looked back at him while he strummed his guitar. She began to sing quietly, attracting the glances of a few of the people who had shown up. They pulled out their phones and appeared to be texting before pocketing them. Within ten minutes, there were more and more and more people.

Damon grinned as he made his way over to Elena. She stood in front of the stage, swaying to the beat of the rock song that Enzo and Bonnie sang to each other. Looked like Donavon might have some competition. He stood some distance away from the stage, drinking with a sour looking Katherine. Tyler and Vikki had shown up along with Jeremy and Anna. Hayley and Elijah were dancing along with Klaus and Caroline. Rebekah and Marcel were spotted running down to the beach and Damon squinted thinking he saw them taking off their clothes before jumping into the water.

All in all, his party seemed to be going off without a hitch, until he saw someone he did not want to see ever again. "Mother," he growled when the woman spotted him. She started to move toward him, when Damon took Elena's hand and moved away as quickly as he could move.

"Damon, what's going on?" Elena demanded as he half dragged her across the beach.

"I just spotted mommy," he muttered. "Man, I need a drink." He looked back at the drinks' table longingly.

"Let's go back and get your drink and I'll talk to your mom, find out what she wants?" Elena offered and Damon grimaced. His eyes moved toward the water. He wondered if he could just swim away from his mother to another country. "Damon?" he felt Elena's hand on his arm and looked down at her. Her eyes glowed in the light of the fire and he felt himself melting. What was she doing to him?

" _Fine_. You go talk to the woman who abandoned her kids and I will be getting drunk, in case she comes near me. Maybe I'll pass out. When I wake up, she'll be _long_ gone," Damon grinned at the thought before leaning down and kissing Elena. His lips lingered on hers, wanting to stay with her, instead of hiding from his mother.

"Have fun with Stefan," Elena whispered to Damon, smiling and then she walked away, toward the woman he wanted nothing to do with. Lily looked confused as Elena approached her. Damon rolled his eyes and headed toward the drinks' table.

"Hey! How much have we made so far?" Damon asked Stefan, leaning over the table and taking a cup for himself.

"That will be five dollars," Freya said, holding out a hand.

Stefan chuckled while Damon glared at the Mikaelson sister. "In answer to your question, Damon, we've made about four thousand and counting. Believe it or not. And we're still getting a ton of people coming in. Looks like some of the early birds called their friends and we may have to make another beer run before the nights out."

"We're running out of cups, too," Freya added.

"Great!" Damon grinned happily, pulling out his wallet and slapping a twenty on the table. "Give me four beers," he demanded.

"For you, Elena and _who_?" Stefan inquired, eyeing Elena and their mother. "I wondered if she'd show up here at some point," he muttered.

"How does she even know where we are?" Damon responded, taking one of the cups and draining it before taking the second and draining that one, too. "And in answer to your question: these are all _mine_!" Damon picked up the third cup and downed it before reaching for the fourth.

"I think you've had _enough_ ," Hayley said, coming to stand beside him and grabbing his fourth cup, taking a sip.

"You owe me five bucks," Damon snapped at his sister who narrowed her eyes at him. Rolling his eyes, Damon looked back at his mother. His irritation mounted when he saw Stefan watching their mother with a little too much interest. "It was _you_!" he accused, pointing at his little brother.

"What's going on?" Caroline demanded, coming over to stand with her family with Klaus right behind her. She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Damon.

"He brought our mother _here_!" Damon yelled, waving at Stefan in rage.

Stefan's eyes widened. "Damon, it's _not_ what you think," he began when Damon scoffed and turned around, stalking away from them.

"Damon. Damon. Damon!" his siblings yelled after him but he chose to ignore them. He had wanted a nice night with Elena and the ability to kick Caroline's ass at this competition. Everything was great until _she_ showed up. Why did someone always have to ruin his chances at happiness?

Continuing to trudge along the sand, he came across Rebekah and Marcel, looking for their clothes. "Maybe the waves washed them away," he told the couple.

Rebekah blushed and tried to hide her nudity while Marcel moved to stand in front of her. "Damon, could you go somewhere else?" Rebekah shouted at him.

"Oh, come on, I've seen something like what you've got so many times that if see something new, I'll give you a dollar," Damon snapped.

"What is _wrong_ with you, man?" Marcel snapped when Damon glared at him.

"Nothing is wrong with _me_. Other than having a crappy mother," Damon muttered, moving further down the beach. Everyone would probably be happy if he just jumped in his car, and drove off, never to be heard or seen from again. Sitting down, Damon watched the water, trying to calm down.

Of course, getting some peace and quiet seemed to be too much to ask for around here. "Damon," a voice called and Damon's body tensed.

" _Not_ her. Keep moving," Damon yelled back at her.

Groaning when she took a seat beside him, Damon rolled his eyes, refusing to look at her. "Damon, I know what you must think of me…"

"No, mom, I _don't_ think you have a clue," Damon snapped, turning to look her in the eye. For a moment, he could only stare at her. Seeing her eyes, so much like his own, his eyes burned and he had to look away. He would not cry, not over her; she wasn't worth his time. "I don't think you have a clue what I think or how I feel."

"Damon, I didn't mean to be presumptuous or to hurt you by coming here. I just… Some kids came into the diner at the end of my shift and mentioned that there was a party hosted here. I thought with so many people, you might not notice my presence. I wanted to see you and Stefan again. I'm sorry. I'll go now." Lily got up and Damon looked up to watch her go.

"Mom," he called after her. She paused and turned to look at him.

"Yes, Damon?" Lily replied, her expression becoming hopeful.

"Did Stefan tell you where we were staying?" he asked lightly.

Lily looked surprised for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, yes, he did," she replied. Damon got to his feet, walking past her, he marched back toward the party. "Damon? Damon, what are you going to _do_? Damon, I am still your mother, now answer me!" she cried, catching up to him and grabbing him by the arm.

"You gave up any rights to me when Elizabeth Salvatore signed a paper legally adopting me. She _is_ my mother. Not you. Now, get your damned hand off of me!" Damon yelled, his eyes glowing with malice. Lily let go and took a step back like he had slapped her.

Feeling satisfied, Damon continued his hunt for Stefan. When he got to the drinks' table, he found Elijah and Hayley manning it. "Where _is_ Stefan?" he asked them.

"He went with Freya to get more beer and cups," Hayley replied.

Damon spun around on his heel. He saw Caroline talking to Klaus and Elena and walked around the side of the inn. His feet moved quickly toward the parking lot that they left their cars at when they were at the inn. The lot was full but he caught sight of Stefan about to get into his car. "Stefan!" he shouted.

Stefan looked over at Damon whose fists were balled at his sides. "What in the hell were you thinking, having that woman come here? Did your miss your mommy?" he shouted at his brother.

"Damon. You're _drunk_ ," Stefan snapped. "Just go back to the party. Tomorrow we'll talk about it."

"We'll talk about it _now_!" Damon snarled, moving toward his brother and grabbing him by the shoulders, slamming him into his car.

"Hey. Stop!" Stefan yelled at Damon when Damon grinned before punching him in the face.

"Oh, my God!" Freya cried when Stefan lunged at Damon and they began to beat each other senseless.

"Boys, _stop_ this!" Lily yelled at them and Damon grinned up at her before punching Stefan in the jaw.

"Damon!" Elena screamed, coming to stand beside his mother. She looked disgusted while Damon fought his brother.

"Stop it!" Elijah yelled at them, coming over and yanking Damon off of Stefan. Klaus grabbed Stefan. Marcel emerged from the crowd with Kol. They kept the two brothers from attacking each other again.

"Someone needs to get more beer!" Caroline reminded them. "Come on, Stefan, we're going to clean you up and Damon can sit down here and cool off," she glared at Damon while Klaus helped Stefan back to the inn.

"Take his side," Damon mumbled, feeling his head beginning to pound. "Anyone got anything to drink?"

"I do," Katherine appeared and handed Damon a cup. "Lena, why don't you be a dear and go get supplies with Freya," she said when Elena glared at her.

"Why don't you do that and I will stay here with _my_ boyfriend," Elena shot back.

Rolling her eyes, Katherine pouted before turning to Damon. "When you get done being bored, give me a call," she told him. "Hey, Matt, want to help get supplies?" she called to Matt who looked bored.

"Sure," Matt walked off with Katherine.

Freya walked back toward the inn and Damon looked up to see that his mother had left. He would say he felt bad about fighting with Stefan or driving his mother away but he didn't. She deserved it.

"Damon, what is _wrong_ with you?" Elena demanded while Damon sat down on the hood of his brother's car, gingerly touching his split lower lip.

"Nothing that an iced cold beer, ten hours sleep and never having to see that woman again wouldn't cure," Damon joked. Elena continued to glare at him. "Look, Lena, I know you, Kat and Jer lost your parents a while ago, but they were good, _decent_ people who didn't just up and stop loving their kids one day."

"No, they didn't. But how does your mom stopped loving you? Did you even give her a _chance_? Maybe she realized what a huge mistake she made leaving you two, and when she came back, your dad had already remarried?" Elena questioned him while Damon smirked back at her.

"Is that the line she fed you?" Damon inquired.

"No. We didn't talk about that," Elena replied slowly, taking a seat beside him. "She wanted to know if you were okay and what you were doing with your life right now."

"And you told her?" Damon watched Elena tuck her hair behind her ear.

"I told her that you were going to college and that you had been in a lot of pain for a _long_ time and… I told her that I was in love with you and that I'm trying, every day, to bring out the best in you. Of course, then you, being you, had to go and do _that_ ," she waved at the spot where he had been fighting with Stefan. "But you're _better_ than that guy."

"You know that I love you because you see the best in people, right?" Damon asked her and Elena smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"You should talk to your mom before you leave. This may be the last chance that you get," Elena told him in her serious voice.

Damon smiled, looking down at her. "Fine. But on one condition," he replied.

"Okay," Elena took his hand and squeezed it.

"You have to go with me when I go to see her," Damon said slowly.

Elena shook her head. "Sorry. I think that's something that you need to do on your own," she told him. "Any other requests?"

"Yes, dance with me." Damon got up, taking Elena by the hand back to the party and moved so they were close to the stage where Bonnie and Enzo were making beautiful music together. He wrapped his arms around his girl and held her close to him. They swayed to the music until there was no music and there were no partygoers. They swayed until the sun began to come up and Damon took Elena's face between his hands and kissed her again. "I don't ever want to dance with another girl, Elena Gilbert."

"I don't want to ever dance with another guy, Damon Salvatore," Elena replied, taking his hand and leading him back into the inn. They walked up to her room which was, thankfully, Katherine-free, and locked the door. Damon picked Elena up and carried her over to the bed, kissing her until she began to giggle. "I don't ever want to go to bed with another guy," she told him.

"I don't ever want to wake next to another girl," Damon murmured, kissing her stomach and then sliding her jeans off.

"I don't ever want to tell another guy that I love him," she said while he pulled her closer.

"I don't ever want to ask another girl to move in with me when we get back home," Damon said as Elena moaned, staring him in the eye.

"I don't ever want to marry someone else," Elena told him.

"I don't ever want to ask another woman to marry me," Damon said with a grin.

Elena grinned back. "Yes."

"Yes, what?" Damon teased.

"I won't say yes to any other guy's marriage proposal," Elena replied.

"Marry me?" Damon whispered.

"Yes," Elena replied, nodding and they grinned before kissing each other till they couldn't breathe.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

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 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is the next to last chapter. Can't believe it's nearly over. And now you will know for certain who Stefan ends up with. On with the show…**

Chapter 15: Fools Rush In

Sleep. Stefan wanted to sleep through the rest of his vacation but someone kept knocking on the door. Getting up, he yawned, running a hand through his hair when he opened the door to find a beaming Freya Mikaelson. "Hello," she greeted him. "I thought you might want to go out and get some breakfast with me," she told him. She seemed awfully perky for someone who had been up till five in the morning.

"Umm…" Stefan tried to think, when Freya took hold of his hand and pulled him out of his room.

"Come on, Stefan. It's a sunny day. No clouds in the sky. The world is full of possibilities. Rumor has it that your brother got himself engaged last night. There are _tons_ of reasons to celebrate," Freya enthused, taking his arm.

"My brother got _engaged_?" Stefan replied. He must be dreaming. Commitment and Damon were antithetical to each other.

"Yes. Katherine Gilbert was spying on them and then came in and told my brother, Klaus, and your, sister, Caroline, who went over to tell, my other brother, Elijah, and your sister, Hayley, who told Rebekah and Marcel, who told Kol and that Liv person and so on and so forth. You must be the _only_ person who doesn't know by now. Sorry you had to hear it from me." Freya did not seem sorry. She seemed to be happy.

" _How_ are you so chipper at this time of the morning?" Stefan asked her.

"I do yoga every morning with the sunrise. It's good for relaxation and concentration. You should come out and try it sometime with me," Freya enthused on their way down the stairs.

"O-kay," Stefan did not feel sure that he would be able to get up at dawn to do yoga, but he would try for this woman, this stranger. There was something about her that made him want to try new things. As long as she didn't want to go bungee jumping.

" _Great_. So I know that your mother works at the diner that everyone seems to enjoy going to. So, I thought we could go somewhere else this morning. I googled this little French place, that is about five miles away, but they have an outdoor area that is _tres_ _magnifique_. And the menu looks _delicious_ ," she told Stefan on their way out of the front door.

"Great," Stefan could not seem to get more than one word out at a time at the moment because his head still hurt from last night's catastrophe. "Can you drive?" he asked.

Freya smiled. "Of course. How's your head? I came to check on you last, night but you were sound asleep, so I slept in the chair in your room."

"You slept in the _chair_?" Stefan recalled a blanket on the chair when he got up to answer the door but he hadn't put much thought into it. "That thing is made of wood. You didn't have to do that."

Smiling, Freya looked away. "I wanted to," she said, looking back at Stefan as they stopped in front of his car and Stefan felt his heart begin to race.

"That's rather nice of you," Stefan replied.

"I _wasn't_ trying to be nice," Freya retorted before getting behind the wheel of her car.

Stefan shook his head and went around the car to sit in the passenger seat. The drive was quiet for a while before Freya interrupted the silence. "You know, it's strange that I get here only to find that two of my brothers seemed to have fallen head over heels for your sisters." She seemed amused when she turned on the radio. "Oh, I love Bon Jovi!" she cried, turning up the music.

"You do?" Stefan cheered up, smiling as he looked at Freya. He could honestly say that the only other person he knew that loved Bon Jovi as much as he did was Lexi. "I have two tickets for a concert in August. I planned to go with my friend, Lexi, but she had plans with her boyfriend to go to the Swiss Alps."

"The Swiss Alps in _August_?" Freya laughed at his comment.

"Yeah. She likes to go to cold places when it's hot and hot places when it's cold," Stefan informed Freya who smiled.

"I suppose that makes sense. Personally, I prefer the heat." Freya began to hum to the music and Stefan hummed with her.

They were a mile from the French place when the car ran over something and slowed to a stop. "Damn. I think I have a flat tire," she cried.

"I'll go see," Stefan got out of the car and Freya got out on her side. He looked at the back, right tire.

"Yup. It looks like you ripped that tire wide open. Got a spare?" Stefan called to Freya.

"Yes. In the trunk," Freya replied. She opened the trunk and they looked in to find… nothing, but an IOU from Kol. "Little…" she moaned, slamming the trunk lid closed. "I can't believe it. _Actually_ , I can. I will go back and kill him after we get a tow truck out here."

"Little problem with that," Stefan said, holding up his phone, looking for bars and finding zero. "We don't have service out here."

"You're _kidding_?" Freya held up her own phone, walking several feet ahead of the car and then began to talk to herself. "Bloody hell."

"Yeah. That about sums it up," Stefan nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Want to walk back?"

Freya sighed heavily before nodding. "I suppose a walk won't be a bad thing," she said and Stefan smiled at her, holding out his hand. She took it and they began to walk toward town.

"Is that a cloud?" Stefan asked.

Freya looked up and they both frowned. "Yes. And there's another one."

"And there's _another_ ," Stefan stopped and then looked at Freya who groaned when it began to rain and then it began to pour. "Back to the car!" Stefan yelled and they raced back. Freya got in first, followed by Stefan.

"Well, it looks like this day is cursed," Stefan joked while Freya looked at her soaking wet shirt. Trying not to stare, Stefan ran a hand through his wet locks. "I would offer you mine, but it's kinda wet, too."

"Yes, I can see _that_ ," Freya replied and Stefan looked at her to see she was smiling. "I think I have a towel on the back seat." She moved to grab the towel and Stefan tried not to stare at her ass but her body was next to his face.

"Umm…" Stefan looked out the windshield when Freya held out the towel to him. "No, you can use it first," he said, waving it away.

Freya shrugged and pulled her t-shirt off. Stefan could no longer tear his eyes away from her while she toweled herself off and then started to dry her hair. When she finished, she held out the towel to him. "All yours," she said and Stefan could only stare at her. "Stefan, did you want the towel?" she asked.

"Yeah," Stefan replied, taking the towel, his fingers touching hers.

Freya sucked in a deep breath, looking back at Stefan. He usually didn't move that quickly with girls he liked. His preference was to wine and dine them, taking them on moon-lit strolls, talk about their hopes and dreams, but Freya made him want to take risks. She excited him in more than one way. And, now, he wanted to kiss her. To hell with taking it slow and being cautious, to fearing getting hurt. This was summer. It was the time to fall in love quickly.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Stefan reached out and pulled Freya to him. His hand went down on her leg, pulling her out of her seat and onto his lap and his other hand moved around to the back of her neck, kissing her and groaning when she slid her tongue into his mouth. She did not seem to have a problem with moving quickly as she yanked his shirt up and his zipper down. Stefan gasped when she pulled her skirt up and moved downward. He hadn't been that into any girl since Elena, but he could be really into Freya as she pressed her lips to his again and began to move up and down.

"I hope the rain doesn't stop any time soon," Stefan said when their lips parted for a moment.

"I don't care," Freya replied. Yes, she was a daredevil. Stefan felt himself smiling as she kissed him again and he unhooked her bra, running his hands over her body. It had been too long since he had been with a girl that made him happy. And he was happy right then.

When they finished, Freya sat back and stared at Stefan. "That was better than French food. But I think I'm starving."

"Me, too," Stefan replied.

They got dressed and looked out the window. "It's stopped raining," Freya pointed out, adjusting her top.

"Yeah. And there's a rainbow," he said as he pointed out the colorful vision. Freya leaned over and kissed him and Stefan smiled when he got out of the car. He crossed over to take Freya's hand and they walked along the side of the road until someone honked at them.

"Sister?" Klaus called from inside his car. "I thought I saw your car back there. Caroline and I feared you had been taken by a lunatic hitchhiker. She picks up any kind of rubbish off the roadside," Klaus informed a glowing Caroline. Stefan did not want to think about why his sister looked so blissful this morning. "Shall I give you a lift?"

"Yes, thank you, Niklaus." Freya led Stefan over to the car and got inside. "You don't happen to have a spare tire with you, do you?"

"No, Kol took mine," Klaus told her.

"Little wanker," Freya groaned.

Klaus chuckled. "Did the same to you, I surmise?"

"Yes. How shall we repay him?" Freya asked.

"Moving his bed outdoors during the next storm was always a hit for Damon," Stefan told them. Caroline nodded.

"Speaking of Damon, did you hear that he and Elena are getting hitched? I wonder how long that's going to last? We all know Damon can't make anything last long," Caroline told Klaus and Freya.

"Caroline," Stefan sighed.

"Don't defend him. Not after what he did last night, Stef. He tried to _kill_ you." Caroline shook her head, folding her arms over her chest. "There is _no_ good excuse for his behavior. Your mom is a bitch but she screwed you both up, not just him, so he _doesn't_ get to rage out on you just because you wanted to spend time with her."

"Caroline," Stefan tried again. "Damon has a right to be pissed because I shouldn't have sprung that on him. He had a right to know that she might show up."

Caroline turned to stare at Stefan. " _Really_? I think he's old enough to suck it up and deal like a big boy."

"We'll just have to agree to disagree," Stefan retorted.

They rode in silence until Klaus parked the car and led them to the restaurant. Freya and Caroline wanted to sit outside. Klaus did not want to get wet. "What, will you melt?" Caroline teased.

"No," Klaus replied. "I just like this shirt and it doesn't look as good wet," he said, smoothing his shirt out.

Freya chuckled. "Nik always pays _too_ much for his clothing," she told them.

"Do not," Klaus snapped.

"Then he and Caroline must be soul mates, because she has yet to meet a designer label she hates," Stefan informed the Mikaelson sister.

"Stefan!" Caroline hissed, kicking him under the table.

"Enough with the violence," Stefan moaned, rubbing his sore leg that went with his sore left eye, sore jaw and sore right shoulder.

They ordered from the over-priced menu and Freya and Caroline ohed and awed over their food while Klaus and Stefan ate it and then waited for their dates to finish. "That is _so_ good," Caroline moaned when she finished, licking her fingers.

"It _was_ ," Freya replied, nodding.

Stefan and Klaus exchanged looks before arguing about who would pay. "I can get it," Klaus said, taking the check.

"No. Really. _I'll_ pay," Stefan insisted, trying to take the check.

Freya and Caroline withdrew cash from their wallets and placed it with the bill. " _We'll_ take care of this," Freya announced, getting to her feet.

"You two can argue about whose going to pay the tip," Caroline told them, looking down at them with a Damon-like smirk before walking away.

"You can stop staring at my sister's ass," Stefan grumbled.

"Oh, _really_ , Stefan, care to share why exactly you smell like Freya's perfume?" Klaus snapped, opening his wallet and slapping a twenty on the table.

Stefan shrugged. "We shared a towel. We tried to walk and it started raining. End of story."

"Bloody unlikely. You had sex with my sister, did you not?" Klaus demanded.

"And you didn't have sex with mine?" Stefan retorted, glaring back at Klaus who smirked back at him.

"Are you boys ready to leave?" Freya asked them, shouldering her purse.

"Yes. We're ready," Stefan said, getting up and waiting for Klaus to go ahead of him. He gritted his teeth when Klaus placed his hand on Caroline's ass on their way back to the car. "Hey, Caroline, maybe you should ride in the back with Freya," he suggested.

"Why would I do that?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, Stefan, _why_ would she do that?" Klaus watched Stefan's jaw clench before he got in the back of the car and slammed the door closed.

No one spoke on the way back to the inn and Stefan wanted to say something to Freya on their way inside but once they entered, he was accosted by Damon. "Stefan, little brother, I've been looking _all_ over for you," he said, yanking Stefan back out the door.

"What's going on, Damon?" Stefan asked.

"I wanted to apologize, for being me last night. I was a _total_ and _complete_ ass. Let's go to the diner. I want to talk to mom," Damon's words came out, tumbling, one right after the other as he half-dragged Stefan to his car.

"Why?" Stefan asked, trying to free himself from Damon's grip.

"I want to invite her to my wedding this coming fall," Damon told Stefan. "Call it an olive branch. Really, Elena wants her there, but I'm trying. So, let's go," Damon opened the passenger side door and shoved Stefan into the car. "Watch your head," he cried. "And your feet," he added before closing the door.

"You're _really_ getting married?" Stefan didn't really believe that Damon would go through with it. He thought that Damon probably intended on marrying Elena, but in the end, they would be making a mad dash out of the church to hop into the Camaro and make a quick get-away.

Damon nodded. " _Yes_ , brother. I'm going to get the girl and we're going to have lots of little hers."

"Little hers?" Stefan chuckled. "You want a bunch of daughters?"

"No. I just don't want our kids to share my side of the gene pool. No offense," Damon glanced at Stefan who shrugged. "So how was your date with the other Mikaelson sister?"

"It _wasn't_ a date," Stefan corrected.

"Okay. Then how was the thing that was not a date. And do I detect the scent of jasmine," Damon leaned over and sniffed Stefan.

"Cut it out," Stefan yelled. "And watch the _road_."

Damon laughed. "Oh. Wow. It _wasn't_ a date. You hooked up with Klaus's big sis. Was it good? Did she rock your world? Did you remember to suit up so that there won't be little yous, with too much hair product, running around?"

"Shut up, Damon," Stefan moaned. He felt grateful that they had just pulled up outside of the diner. "We're here," he said, jumping out of the car the minute that Damon parked.

Damon whistled on their way up to the diner. He took a seat in a booth, looking around for their mother. When she appeared, he waved to her, with a wide smile. Stefan saw the confused look on her face as she came toward their table. "Damon. Stefan. What can I get you boys?" she asked them.

"Sit. Take a load off, mom," Damon said, moving over and patting the seat beside him.

Lily looked at Damon. "I'm at work, Damon."

"Then take a quick break," Damon replied. "It's a _special_ day."

"Oh, really?" Lily took a tentative seat beside Damon.

"I proposed to Elena last night and she said yes. We want you to come to the wedding," Damon announced.

"Damon, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Your father would not want me there," Lily told him. "He told me not to try to contact either of you after I signed the papers so that Liz could adopt you."

"He _what_?" Stefan asked, feeling angry.

"Stefan, _don't_ be angry with your father. I wasn't in a good place at the time. Julian went to jail and I had to make a deal to stay out of prison. I was on probation and I could not give you the life you were used to." Lily placed her hands over face as tears ran down her cheeks.

"It's okay, mom," Stefan said, reaching for her hands.

"We still have time to make up for what we lost," Damon added. His good mood kind of freaking Stefan out.

"I am _truly_ sorry," Lily told them.

On Thursday morning Stefan, Damon, Caroline and Hayley sat in the boys' room. "We've got fifteen thousand dollars, total," Stefan told them. They had counted over and over again. Always coming up with the same number. They had no idea how much Mr. O'Neil was looking for but they had a feeling that this would not be enough.

"Count it again," Caroline ordered, sitting down on the end of Damon's bed. Elena came in and went over to hold hands with Damon, her new diamond ring sparkling back at them.

Klaus, Elijah and Freya entered the room and looked at the pile of money. "We can add more," Freya suggested. "Nik, Lijah, how much can we offer them?"

"Another ten thousand," Elijah said.

"That's not going to be enough," Damon sighed, rubbing his temples.

"We don't know until we ask Mr. O'Neil," Hayley said, looking at Elijah who nodded.

"Okay. Let's go ask him. I saw him come in just now," Elena told them. They walked out, with the cash, in an empty suitcase.

"Hello, Mr. O'Neil," Caroline greeted the man with a wide smile.

"Ms…" Mr. O'Neil looked at her blankly.

"Ms. Salvatore," Caroline replied. "We wanted to make you an offer on the inn," she told him brightly.

Mr. O'Neil looked amused. "I'm sorry. I don't take credit cards to pay for real estate, kids."

"We can do better. We have _cash_ ," Damon opened the suitcase. "We have fifteen thousand we made trying to keep this dump." He stopped speaking when Elena elbowed him. "I mean, this _lovely_ establishment, open. And our friends can offer you another ten, if you're willing to wait for them to get to a bank."

"I'm sorry, but this place is worth more," Mr. O'Neil told them.

"How much more?" Elena asked, fingering her engagement band.

"At least seven or ten thousand dollars more than that," Mr. O'Neil informed them.

Elena pulled her ring off. "This ring cost my fiancé three thousand dollars. I'll give it to you, if you'll wait a month for the other seven," she said, placing the ring on the counter and pushing it toward him.

"Elena!" Damon protested.

"I can see this place means a lot to you, kids, but I can't go on promises that you'll go to a bank or that you'll get me the cash in a month. Every day I keep this place open is a day that I'm losing my own savings." Mr. O'Neil handed Elena back her ring. "Good luck," he told her.

Stefan felt sick as they left the inn to go for a walk. "I've got an idea," he told the group.

"What is it?" Damon asked.

Stefan told them what his idea was, having no idea if it would work or not. Nodding, his siblings headed for the parking lot, after saying good-bye to their counterparts. "Are you going to leave me without a _proper_ good-bye, Stefan Salvatore?" Freya inquired with a smirk.

Stefan grinned, walking back over to her and grabbing her by the waist, kissing her deeply. "I'll be back," he promised her.

"You had _better_ be," Freya said, letting him go. He waved and then ran off to join his siblings. They had a plane to catch.

 **Answer to guest review:**

 **Scarlet Rose: Thank for the lovely review. I love and miss Delena so much. Hopefully we'll see them again in S8, fingers crossed. Benzo is so awesome and we did see it earlier than a lot of fans. Yeah us! High-five! Damon does love Liz, a lot. The thing with Lily would not be easily forgiven but sometimes it's better to forgive, not to forget, but to allow yourself to find closure and to move on with your life. You know I love Klamon. With Ian leaving TVD, figure my dreams on Damon on TO are up in smoke but who knows. There is always hope.**

 **Thank you reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about the long wait. I had to go off-line for a little while to take care of some real life problems. Here's the final chapter. On with the show…**

Chapter 16: We Bought an Inn

They sat outside the massage room. Each of the siblings traded looks, trying not to laugh when their father came out in a robe with green goop on his face. "Children, what are all of you doing _here_? I thought you were on vacation," their father asked them, looking from Hayley to Damon to Caroline and then to Stefan. Liz came out and Damon let out a chuckle which caused the other four to begin to laugh.

"Kids, what is _so_ funny and what are you doing _here_?" Liz Salvatore asked, placing her hands on her robe covered hips.

"Mom," Hayley began, trying to control the giggles when Caroline let out a loud one. Then Hayley began to giggle. Damn jet lag.

"Mom. Dad. I'm _engaged_ ," Damon blurted out.

Stefan could control himself no longer and began to laugh hysterically. "Yeah. To Elena Gilbert!" he yelled.

An attendant hushed them, pointing at the sign that said "Quiet" above the entrance to the massage area. "We're sorry. We'll be right back," Liz said quietly before heading her brood out into the lobby. "Okay. One at a time, tell us what happened."

"We couldn't find a good place to stay," Damon began.

"So we found this little inn," Hayley put in.

"It was a _disaster_ ," Caroline added.

"But then it wasn't, because we actually started to get along," Stefan told their parents.

"For the most part," Damon amended.

"And we met some _great_ people. I have a boyfriend now. Sort of. We're going to write and call and e-mail," Hayley told them proudly beaming.

"But they're going to sell the inn we're staying in tomorrow," Caroline said with wide, sorrowful eyes.

"If we don't stop them. And that is where you come in," Stefan finished.

"What are you asking for, Stefan?" Giuseppe asked them, watching the kids look at each other.

"Loan us the money so we can buy the inn," Hayley blurted, looking at her siblings who nodded and then looking at their parents.

Liz and Giuseppe looked at each other before turning to their kids. "What do the four of you know about owning real estate, let alone the upkeep of an inn and what about college?"

"We could hire people to manage it and come by to make sure that everything is running smoothly," Damon told them.

"And what if the inn goes belly up?" Giuseppe inquired, folding his arms over his chest.

"Then we will pay you back every cent that you invested," Stefan told them.

"And we already made fifteen thousand dollars through a car wash and a party trying to keep the place open. Plus, we know some people who are willing to front us another ten grand," Hayley informed their parents who traded another look. This time they seemed impressed.

"Really?" Liz asked and they nodded.

"So will you do this for us? It's _really_ important," Hayley pleaded and their parents looked at each other.

"I suppose we could think about it," Liz said.

"No. You have to move _now_. He's planning on selling," Damon consulted his watch. " _Today_. We need to be on a plane, _now_ , before he auctions the place off on freakin' E-bay!"

Their father looked thoughtful. "If it means this much to all of you..."

"It _does_ ," they replied in unison.

"Fine. We'll send for our private plane," their father said and Hayley wanted to scream with joy. Once their parents went upstairs, they began to jump up and down, congratulating each other. "We did it!"

"I have to call Elena," Damon said, walking away to make the call.

Caroline was laughing and dancing around with Hayley while Stefan sat down and let out a sigh. He was smiling when they sat down on either side of him. "It's a good day," Stefan told them.

"It is," Caroline said with a grin.

"I can't wait to get back," Hayley enthused.

Hours later, they stepped off the private jet to get into a car and drive back to the inn. Once they stepped in the door, Hayley felt sick when she saw a young man, in a business suit, shaking hands with Mr. O'Neil. "It's always a pleasure," the young man said.

" _Who_ was that?" Hayley demanded, seeing Elijah's look of despair.

"Sorry, kids, you're too late. Just sold to Mr. Castle who wants to tear this place down and make a mini mall," Mr. O'Neil told them, pocketing a check.

" _No_. No way!" Damon yelled.

"Children!" their father snapped and Damon stopped talking to glare at Mr. O'Neil.

"There must be some kind of arrangement we can come to," Giuseppe said, calmly.

"Yeah. If you can catch up with Mr. Castle and make a deal with him," Mr. O'Neil replied.

"No. That's _not_ fair!" Caroline cried out.

"It's not," Hayley added.

"Did you sign the deed over to Mr. Castle?" Liz asked Mr. O'Neil.

"No. But –" Mr. O'Neil stopped when Liz smiled.

"Then how much more do we have to pay you for this place?" Liz asked him and the kids smiled at each other.

"He offered me one hundred thousand dollars. Double that, and we have a deal," O'Neil told their mother.

"One-twenty-five and that's as far as we go," Liz retorted, narrowing her eyes at him.

O' Neil deflated. "Fine," he relented.

"And we want the deed, _now_ ," Hayley told him. O'Neil went in the office and brought them a piece of paper that had seen better days. Giuseppe called their lawyer and had some papers faxed, along with a wire transfer to O'Neil's account. Soon the deed was in the names: Hayley Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore and Caroline Salvatore. Their first investment as a family. But not their last.

 **Four Years Later:**

"Max, baby, don't pull on mommy's dress. _Please_ ," Hayley cried, looking down in dismay as her three-year-old son yanked on the satin skirt of her dress.

"Hey, monkey, want to go play with your cousin, Tommy?" Caroline asked, picking up the boy up and looking at her older sister in the mirror with a huge smile.

"Yes!" Max cheered and Caroline disappeared with the little ball of energy.

"There is my beautiful sister," Freya Salvatore cried, entering the room in a short, golden colored dress. "You look _lovely_ , darling."

"Doesn't she?" Rebekah cried, coming in, with several dry cleaning bags slung over her arm. "Don't worry. I didn't forget our dresses. Let's hope the men are so lucky with Nik as the best man." She rolled her eyes. "Is it a wonder to anyone that Marcel and I eloped?" she asked, setting the bags down.

"Sit down," Hayley ordered Rebekah who took a seat, resting her feet and patting her growing middle.

"I feel like this baby should have come a month ago and I'm only seven months along," Rebekah sighed.

Freya laughed. "Tommy was a week late and Elena was about to kill Damon," she told them. Hayley felt guilty that she and Elijah had been too busy on their European vacation-two years ago-to welcome the newest member of the Salvatore clan. Freya had been in the delivery room because Kat refused to be anywhere near "that nightmare" as she told them at every family get-together since and Damon had passed out. This left Caroline who had the flu and Freya who had married Stefan, three months prior, to go and hold Elena's hand.

Caroline came back into the room with Liz in a long dark blue gown, her hair in a twist at the back of her neck. Liz smiled at Hayley, opening her mouth to speak to her oldest child when Caroline interrupted. "Oh, _look_ , it's the Mikaelsons!" Caroline's smile was far too wide and Hayley had to bite her tongue.

"Caroline," Liz protested, folding her arms. Caroline and Rebekah ignored her objection.

"My name is Rebekah _Gerard_ and Freya is a _Salvatore_. You might want to remember this the next time you send out Christmas cards and they get sent back. _Come_ , Freya, I need a break." Getting to her feet, Rebekah took Freya's arm and they left the room.

Liz took that opportunity to cross the room and look Hayley over. "Are you nervous, honey?" she asked, placing a hand to Hayley's cheek.

"Yeah. A little," Hayley admitted with a laugh.

"You'll be fine. Elijah loves you very much and I am so happy you found each other." Liz kissed her eldest daughter on the cheek before leaving Hayley alone with a sulking Caroline.

Hayley sighed. "Caroline, you're my maid of honor, so you know you're going to see him, right?"

Caroline began to chew at her lower lip while picking up Hayley's veil and fluffing it. "Yes…"

"And if you'd just stop calling it a summer fling, every summer you get back together with him, you might get somewhere. Just _tell_ him you love him and get on with it," Hayley snapped at Caroline. "And I'm not wearing that _thing_!"

"Are to!" Caroline yelled at her.

"I'm the bride. When it's your turn, then you can wear an Easter Basket on your head if you want!" Hayley yelled back.

"Hey. Hey! What's all the yelling about?" Damon demanded, entering the room and looking from Hayley to Caroline. He adjusted his tie and Hayley thought about Elijah. Suddenly all of her stress disappeared. "Damon, you didn't leave the boys on their own, did you?"

"No, of course not. I left them with their uncle Kol," Damon told them cheerfully. "And Klaus."

"No!" Caroline groaned, sitting down and burying her head in her hands.

"Just marry him already," Damon suggested and Caroline looked up to glare at him.

"You marry him," she growled.

Damon held up a gold band. "Too late, sister. FYI, Katherine is about to vomit on someone, so best to avoid the puke monster. Don't know what Donavon did to deserve her, but it looks like she's his for the long haul."

"Great. A maid-of-honor's job is _never_ done," Caroline sighed while Hayley and Damon grinned at each other.

Stefan came into the room with Tommy. "Hey, this little guy was looking for his daddy." He handed Tommy over to Damon.

"Hey, buddy, what's up?" Damon asked.

"Max took my dinosaur!" Tommy told him, fingering his tie.

"That's okay. I'll make him give it back," Hayley said, picking up the bottom of her dress about to discipline her child when Caroline stopped her.

"No. You can't, Elijah might see. It's _bad_ luck," Caroline warned her.

Hayley laughed. "Elijah saw me give birth to our son. There's not a whole lot that he could see that could give us worse luck."

"I'll deal with it," Damon told them. "And don't worry. I'll be back to drag you, kicking and screaming, down the aisle.

"Ha, ha," Hayley laughed, not finding him funny at all.

Stefan took a seat on the floor beside the chair that Caroline sat in. "Any last minute jitters?" he asked Hayley.

"Nope. And coming from the guy who took his vows while bungee jumping, I can't believe you're asking me if I'm having any last minute worries." Chuckling, Hayley leaned against the wall while Caroline fluffed her skirt. "Stop that!" she ordered Caroline who huffed.

"I can't believe the three of you are married and I'm _not_ ," Caroline grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I can't believe that _Katherine_ is married before you," Hayley remarked.

"I can't believe that dad won't be here to walk you down the aisle," Stefan said and they fell silent. They had lost their father the year before to a heart attack.

"I know. I _miss_ him," Hayley said quietly. "Even though he wasn't my birth father, I still thought of him as my dad."

"I know," Caroline sniffled. Hayley reached out to hug her when Caroline stopped her. "Don't! I'll mess your dress up."

"You ready to go get hitched? To tie on the ball and chain? To say until death party you –" Damon recited when they all yelled at him.

"Shut up, Damon!" the younger siblings yelled.

"Fine!" Damon yelled back. "Get your butt over here, Hales. It's time to give your sorry self over to someone who will love and cherish you, if he would like to live," he told Hayley.

Sighing heavily, Hayley took Damon's arm while Caroline lined up behind Freya and Rebekah who had apparently changed elsewhere. Freya led them down the aisle. Everyone oohed and aahed at her rose petal, pink gown that Caroline had picked out. Rebekah followed in her own rose, pink dress and Caroline followed them in a red dress, because she wanted to show off her status as the maid-of-honor, and to torture the Mikaelson sisters.

"This is your _last_ chance to make a run for it," Damon reminded Hayley who looked down the aisle at Elijah and Max, their little boy in his little suit. Max waved at her.

"I'm _good_ ," Hayley replied, grinning as they walked down the aisle. Stopping in front of Elijah, she could not believe this was happening. "I love you," she mouthed to Elijah.

"I love you, too," he mouthed back with a grin.

"Pick me up," Max demanded and his father picked him up while Hayley laughed. "Hello, mommy."

"Hello, honey," Hayley said, taking Elijah's hand.

"Dearly beloved," the preacher began…

Stepping onto the dance floor that was just part of the beach, Hayley laughed when Elijah spun her around. She caught sight of Bonnie and Enzo, dancing on the stage, while singing a song they had written together that went to the top of the Billboard Twenty. "If we hadn't decided to stay at this stupid inn, then I wouldn't have met you," Hayley said, curling her fist into Elijah's suit jacket, pulling him to her and kissing him.

"Shall we rename the inn: Love's Paradise or something equally as corny?" Elijah whispered into her ear, spinning her around and pressing her back to his chest.

"No. _Never_. Damon would have an aneurysm," Hayley told him, laughing.

"All the more reason," Elijah said and Hayley continued to laugh at his joke when she spotted Caroline going up to the mike and tapping it.

"Excuse me. Hello? I'd like to… umm… Say something. Or sing something." Caroline let out a nervous laugh. She looked around at everyone and then her cheeks flushed. "Yeah. _Okay_. So. I'm going to sing. I hope you like it. This is dedicated to the bride and groom and that special someone out there in the audience. _He_ knows who I'm talking about."

Caroline closed her eyes and then began to sing. "You're just too good to be true. I can't take my eyes off of you. You feel like heaven to touch. I just want to hold you _so_ much," she sang while Bonnie began to sing with her. "I thank God you're alive."

"Is she singing to _Niklaus_?" Elijah asked Hayley. She wasn't quite sure until he mounted the stage and made his way toward Caroline. Hayley's jaw dropped when Klaus dropped to one knee. Bonnie offered him a mic and he turned to Caroline.

"Caroline, since the day that I met you, I knew you were different. Ever since, I could not stop thinking about you and what our time together meant to me. I do not want to spend another second living my life without you by my side. Will you be my wife?" Klaus asked.

"Say _yes_!" the crowd chanted, including Elijah and Hayley.

"Yes!" Caroline cried, dropping the mic on the stage and Klaus slid the ring onto her finger before he stood and swept her into his arms.

"Oh, my God!" Hayley cried, turning to Elijah. "This is _not_ happening." She could not stop laughing until he began to kiss her and then she couldn't think straight. "Who's watching Max?" she asked.

"Kol, I think," Elijah looked around.

" _Who's_ that?" Hayley asked.

"Oh, that's… I don't know," Elijah took Hayley's hand and they walked over to Kol and his mystery girl. "Hello?"

"There they are. The happy couple. Elijah. Hayley. Meet my new bird, Davina. Davina. My brother and his newly minted missus," Kol grinned, wrapping an arm around Davina's shoulder.

"What happened to Liv?" Elijah asked.

"She ditched me for Tyler bloody Lockwood of all people. Looks like he's been sniffing around the diner after his marriage broke up after a solid six months. Good thing that Liv dumped me 'cause I never would have decided to become a nude model and have met the new artist in the family."

" _In_ the family?" Elijah's voice rose an octave.

Kol chuckled. " _Yes_. Might have added that you're looking at a pair of newlyweds yourselves. She's actually Davina Mikaelson, thank you, very much."

"Only for a week," Davina told them, blushing.

"Just don't tell Caroline. If she finds out you got married before she did. She'll lose it," Hayley told them.

"What?!" Caroline shouted from behind her.

"Oh, no!" Hayley turned to see Caroline running away, crying. "Damn it! Thanks a lot, Kol!"

"This does not mean that we will have to divorce so that Caroline can say she got married before we legally remarry, do we?" Elijah inquired and Hayley rolled her eyes.

" _Don't_ say that in front of her. She'll try to make us do it," Hayley retorted.

When they got past a sand dune, they saw Klaus had caught up with Caroline and was comforting her. "Let's go before they notice us," Elijah urged, taking her husband's hand and they hurried back to the inn. Elijah picked Hayley up, carried her into the inn, up the stairs and into the room that they had first been together in. Caroline had decorated it with candles and rose petals.

Elijah laid her on the bed. "I love you, Mrs. Mikaelson," he whispered.

"I love you, too. Mr. Mikaelson," Hayley replied before they undressed and worked on trying to make Max into a big brother.

"Hey. Everyone, it's time for the photographs!" Caroline yelled at everyone. Hayley and Elijah came outside-just in time-checking each other over for signs of their early honeymoon activities. "Hurry up. You're _late_ ," Caroline called to them. "Come here!" she made them stand in the middle with Klaus, Caroline, Elena and Damon on one side and Freya, Stefan, Rebekah and Marcel on the other. "Say Salvatore-Mikaelson!"

"Gerard!" Rebekah yelled.

"Whatever!" Caroline yelled back with a smile.

"Or Mikaelson-Salvatore," Freya added.

"People! _Focus_!" Caroline yelled and that's when the photographer snapped the pic. "Do over!" she yelled at the man. "Or do I have to do _everything_ myself?"

"Seriously!" Hayley moaned.

"One of just the bride and groom!" the photographer told them and Caroline glared at him. "Now, the maid-of-honor and best man." Caroline flashed her new ring while kissing Klaus. "The groom and his family." Klaus, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah and Freya and their parents moved to be photographed. "And their husbands, wives, parents and children." Hayley, Elijah, Max, Klaus, Caroline, Rebekah, Marcel, Kol, Davina, Stefan, Freya, Mikael and Esther crammed themselves into a photo. "And the bride and her family." Hayley, Damon, Caroline, Stefan and Liz wrapped their arms around each other, ready for the photo to be snapped when Max dove into the photo while Elena held Tommy back from joining his cousin.

"Come on!" Hayley called to Elena. "You're one of us now." Elena came over and stood in front of Damon with Tommy in her arms. They all smiled when the photo was snapped and soon they were dancing around while the photographer snapped away, taking pics of Hayley dipping Caroline, of Damon spinning Tommy around, of Stefan smiling at Freya, of Klaus and Elijah trying to throw Kol into the ocean, of Marcel talking to Rebekah's belly and Davina and Elena chasing Tommy along the shore.

"I love you all!" Hayley yelled to them.

"I love this stupid inn!" Damon yelled.

"I love Klaus Mikaelson!" Caroline shouted.

"Freya and I are expecting!" Stefan told them.

"You're going to repopulate the bloody earth!" Kol told them before half the family chased him along the beach while Hayley and Elijah sat down in the sand and watched the sun go down. It was another wonderful summer, filled with family hijinks and love and they would not change a single minute.

 **The End**

 **I hope you enjoyed the story. Let me know what you thought in that little box at the bottom.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


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